Dangerous Creatures
by Pandora's Dark Box
Summary: Mackenzie Alemaund is an unlucky 18 year old teenager whose life changes drastically after she gets kidnapped by two vampires and learns, in the same day, that she is not human. (OC portrayed by Lily Collins)
1. The Creatures of the Shadows

**A/N: Please, note that I am French so there might be some mistakes here and there.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mackenzie Alemaund was an eighteen-year-old senior high school student living in Mystic Falls alone with her step-father. She was a quiet girl who didn't bother anyone. She was top of her class, always had been, always will be. There wasn't anything special about Mackenzie Alemaund. She liked to read and listen to music, nothing extraordinary there, but she had a certain talent when it came to the arts. She could draw and paint magnificent pieces that somehow always ended up in the trash. There used to be a time, a long time ago, when her drawings were pinned to the fridge or the walls of the house, back when her mother was still alive. Back when she was happy. Back when she was just a kid.

Now, Mackenzie was afraid to be inside her own house. Afraid to speak. Afraid to breathe.

Mackenzie had no friends, no enemies. She knew people, and people knew of her. But nobody really cared. Not that she minded. She didn't find her situation particularly unfair, though it was, she just didn't think about her situation at all. Every day was a struggle. Every day was about getting hurt as less as possible. She didn't have time to think about how it should be, she could only think about what it would be if she made just one little mistake.

Strategically, she thought going to the masquerade ball at the Lockwood mansion would be the best way to not get hurt at all that day. She would come home late, when he should be asleep.

Yes, it was definitely the best plan.

It was dark away from the mansion, where Mackenzie could still hear the music and the laughs of the people partying in masks. She was holding the stick of hers in her right hand, the large white feather brushing against the skin of her cleavage. She had made it herself, though it was so well-done that nobody actually believed her when they asked where she got it. It was white and purple, somehow the color was barely noticeable, and it matched the purple ball gown she had bought with her mother when she was sixteen for her first prom. It was a sleeveless elegant and modern dress that fit her perfectly, it was long enough that nobody could notice the ballerina flats she was wearing but not too long that she would stumble on it and make a fool of herself.

As she reached her car she noticed Elena Gilbert walking her way. She was wearing jeans and a pink shirt and Mackenzie frowned as she remembered she had just seen her half an hour ago in a black dress with a black mask on her face and a very red lipstick.  
She was on the phone. Mackenzie couldn't hear what she was saying but she was pretty sure she heard the names 'Jeremy' and 'Bonnie'. After she hung up, Elena looked up and saw Mackenzie standing just next to her car. They gave each other a polite yet friendly smile. Mackenzie noticed Elena seemed tired as the Gilbert girl awkwardly waved at her.

That's when she first saw him. The man in the mask. She didn't recognize him, she didn't remember him from the party. She was sure it wasn't Stefan, Elena's boyfriend. Or was he her ex-boyfriend? Mackenzie didn't know. Mackenzie didn't care.

Elena turned around, curious about what Mackenzie was staring at. She gasped as she saw the complete stranger, all dressed in black, walk rapidly towards her. She was about to scream when the man grabbed her by the waist as he covered her mouth and nose with a white cloth that smelled funny.

"Elena!"

Mackenzie managed to shout right before the same thing happened to her. She tried to fight the sudden dizziness that took over her. It happened fast. The mask reached the ground as her eyes closed and she passed out in the stranger's arms.

* * *

It was hot in the black car. The driver and his friend on the passenger seat hadn't moved a muscle since they had parked in the empty field over eight hours ago. Elena and Mackenzie were still unconscious in the back when a black SUV with tainted windows joined them and stopped next to the car.

The driver, who was still wearing the same black suit from the night before, got out and walked over to the SUV. The dark window slightly opened to let appear a young man wearing a black cap and sunglasses.

"Where is she?"

"In the trunk."

"Did you do as I said?"

A few seconds of silence passed and the driver was getting impatient.

"Well?"

"There was a complication," he nervously admitted.

"What complication?"

"She wasn't alone. There was another girl there. We had to take her with us. No witnesses."

The driver looked away, aggravated, and paused, contemplating his options. Killing the unwelcomed victim would be a rookie mistake, and he couldn't afford it. If he left one single clue, one as big as a dead teenage girl, it could be his death sentence.

"Put them in the back," he eventually ordered.

He watched in the mirror as the two men did as he asked.

"Thank you for your help."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Remember what I told you to do once you were done?" he asked, and the man in the suit nodded. "You're done."

The man nodded again, then backed away and turned to face his accomplice. He then took out his gun and shot him in the chest before he proceeded to shoot himself in the head.  
The SUV drove away, leaving the bodies on the ground.

* * *

When Elena woke up she found herself in an unknown room with an unknown man. He was wearing jeans and a black hoodie. The room was a mess. It was dirty and dusty and old, and it smelled like it. She could feel she was lying down on what appeared to be a couch. A very ugly and old couch. Her vision was blurred for a few seconds but then she realized she was facing Mackenzie who was still unconscious. She looked her up and down and was a little relieved to see no injuries on her. That's when she felt it. The pain in her arm.

She looked up at the man whom she didn't recognize, and though she was afraid she managed to find the courage to speak up.

"What do you want?"

But he didn't answer. He put his finger on his lips, gesturing her to stay quiet.

"Please, I'm hurt," she tried again.

"I know," he said, staring at her bleeding wound. She could see what he was thinking. She gasped as he moved closer to her. "Just a taste," he told her, or maybe himself.

"No!" Elena shouted as she tried to back away from him.

"Trevor!" a firm female voice stopped him, "control yourself," she continued, in the tone of a mother scolding her child. She had the same British accent as her friend. She had brown hair and brown eyes, she was wearing jeans, a blue shirt and a brown jacket. She was staring at Elena like she had trouble believing what she was seeing.

Trevor recomposed himself and backed off.

"Rose," he sighed. "Buzz kill…"

Elena watched as the vampire walked away.

"What's that smell?" Rose asked.

"It's sleeping beauty over there," Trevor answered from the top of the stairs.

"Why does she smell so good?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "But I'd love to find out if her blood is as good as it smells. Can I eat her?"

"No!" both Elena and Rose said.

Trevor, unhappy with the answer, rolled his eyes and exited the room.

"Who is she anyway?" she asked her friend, loud enough for him to hear, even though he would have heard her anyway.

"Complications!"

Rose made an annoyed face, the situation already wasn't easy, they didn't need complications. Her eyes fell back on Elena and the human could see astonishment on her face.

"My God, you look just like her."

"But I'm not," Elena shook her head, thinking they wanted Katherine, "whatever you…"

"Be quiet."

"But I'm not Katherine," she repeated as she stood up. "My name is Elena Gilbert. You don't have to do this."

"I know who you are. I said, be quiet."

Elena frowned.

"What do you want?"

The vampire was annoyed by her incessant questions and slapped Elena so hard the human fell back on the couch, unconscious.

"I want you to be quiet," she said, before she left the room, leaving the two unconscious teenagers alone on the couch.

Mackenzie woke up not long after. She blinked several times, confused, even in her state of slumber, to where she was. She slowly looked around and didn't recognize the room she was in. Suddenly, fear ceased her as she remembered the last thing she saw was a man grabbing Elena and the last thing she felt was a humid cloth on her mouth. She sat bolt upright and brought her hands to her face as if she could still feel it. She saw Elena lying in front of her. She couldn't not see the stain of blood on her arm. She instantly tried to wake her up.

"Elena!" she whispered as loudly as she could, she didn't want to alert the people who had brought them there. Wherever "there" was.

She heard her moan, as if she was in pain, and saw her slowly open her eyes.

"Elena, are you okay?" she asked, panic clear in her voice.

"Mackenzie," she whispered. "You're awake."

Elena sat up to face her and winced when she used her injured arm.

"Are you okay?"

"It's nothing."

"What are we doing here? Where are we?" Mackenzie asked, she looked like a scared little girl.

"I don't know where we are," Elena answered the easiest question.

Where they were didn't matter. What mattered was who was there with them, holding them in that shady dusty abandoned house for an unknown reason. There was no way Mackenzie would survive this day without seeing things she couldn't unsee, and Elena knew she was going to panic and that wouldn't end well, for anybody.

Elena took Mackenzie's hand as she got up. She gestured her to be quiet, pointed a finger at the door up the stairs and then pointed at her ear. Mackenzie understood what she meant. Two people were talking, a man and a woman, it wasn't hard listening to them as their conversation resonated in the entire house. They listened to them argue as they walked up the stairs as slowly and quietly as possible.

"So, you called him?" Trevor asked, he sounded nervous.

"No, I called one of his contacts. You know how this works."

"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?"

"They say he got it."

"Wonderful. And what?"

"So, that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."

"Look, i-it's not too late," Trevor stuttered, "we can leave her. We don't have to go through with this."

"I'm sick of running."

"Yeah? Well, running keeps up from dying."

"Elijah's old-school, if he accepts our deal, we're free."

Elena looked back at Mackenzie. Even though she was a year older, Mackenzie was shorter than her, and Elena felt the need to protect her from everything she didn't know. She squeezed her hand and Mackenzie nodded. They had to be quiet. But the floor creaked under Elena's footsteps and alerted the two vampires.

"You!" Rose said, before she quickly and angrily made her way to the girls.

Elena stepped back and pushed Mackenzie behind her to shield her from the vampire.

"There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out, you're wrong. Understand?"

Elena didn't respond. She didn't even nod. Mackenzie was surprised as the woman clearly expected an answer. If it had been her she would have been nodding like a crazy person. If she had been alone she would have stayed on that couch, waiting, too terrified to move.

Rose, who had grown tired of Elena and her boldness, stepped out of the room. Mackenzie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Come on."

Elena started to follow them but Mackenzie, whose hand she was still holding, stopped her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, terrified.

"Let's find out why we're here."

"But…"

Elena didn't give her time to reply as she dragged her in the next room where they found Rose. The room was as bad as the one they woke up in. There were books everywhere. On the floor, on the sofas, on the table… The room was quite and dark. Almost all the windows had been covered up with cardboards. There were a few lamps across the room to make up for the lack of daylight.

As they joined Rose in the dirty room, Mackenzie was starting to wonder if Elena was trying to get them killed, if she knew more than she said, or if she was just crazy.

"Why am I here?" she asked, and if she was afraid, Mackenzie couldn't tell.

"You keep asking me questions like I'm gonna answer them," Rose said.

"Why won't you?" Elena asked next, a little too cocky for Mackenzie's taste.

"That's another one."

Mackenzie watched Rose take a cardboard and put it against a window, blocking the sunlight from entering the room. She found it curious that she would walk around the sunlight instead of just through it, like any sane person would.

"You got me, okay? It's not like I can go anywhere."

Mackenzie noticed that Elena only talked about herself, as if they only wanted her. Or as if she had completely forgotten about the girl whose hand was still in hers. Mackenzie was getting more and more convinced that Elena was crazy, or that she had a terrible survival instinct.

"The least you can do is tell me what you want with me."

Mackenzie knew that the woman didn't need to do anything. She wondered what made Elena think that she could boss her around and force her to answer her questions. The safest way to play it, the only way that would ensure they wouldn't get too much hurt, was to go back to the couch and stay quiet. But it seemed that Elena disagreed.

"I personally want nothing. I'm just a delivery service."

"To who? Elijah?"

Rose chuckled. "Two points for the eavesdropper," she said, she sounded amused.

Each step Elena took brought them closer to the short-haired stranger and Mackenzie couldn't have been squeezing Elena's hand any harder.

"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

Mackenzie instantly looked up at Elena, though she was facing her back. She was certain she had misheard.

"He's one of _the_ vampires. The Originals."

"What do you mean "the Originals"?" Elena mumbled.

"What do you mean "vampires"," Mackenzie whispered to Elena.

Different scenarios were playing in her mind. Either Elena knew something she didn't and knew that the two people who had taken them thought vampires were real and she was just pretending, or Elena was as mad as them and they were both going to die.

"Doesn't your friend know?" Rose asked with an amused smirk.

"She's not my friend," Elena said.

She didn't mean it in a bad way. It was just the truth. Elena and Mackenzie weren't friends. They knew of each other's existence because Elena was popular and everybody knew her, especially after she lost her parents, and because Mackenzie's mother had died two years before and the entire town had heard of it.

"She has nothing to do with this, why did you take her?"

"Be happy she's here," Rose answered, "we could've just killed her instead."

Mackenzie squeezed Elena's hand as she moved closer to her.

"Who are the Originals?"

"Again with the questions," Rose sighed. "Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you vampire history?"

Mackenzie's eyes grew big as she realized that she was talking about Stefan and his brother.

"So, you know Stefan and Damon?" Elena asked.

"I know _of_ them. A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. More of a sucker for the bad boys, though, but I digress."

 _A hundred years back._ The words echoed loudly in Mackenzie's mind, and a strong headache started to make her feel dizzy. She was among crazy people, alone, somewhere she didn't know, and somehow, she still felt safer than she did inside her own house. Maybe it was because of Elena, who seemed pretty courageous at that moment, or maybe it was despite of her, who wasn't making much sense…

"Who are the Originals?" Elena asked again.

Rose rolled her eyes and slowly turned around.

"Trevor and I have been running for 500 years. We're tired. We want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess."

"But why me?"

"Because you're a Petrova doppelgänger."

 _Doppelgänger?_ An image from last night popped into Mackenzie's mind when she heard the word. Was it possible that Elena from last night, with the dark dress and the dark mask, wasn't actually Elena? No, it couldn't be possible, because that would mean that Elena wasn't crazy, nor were the people that were holding them in that old house, and that vampires existed. And vampires didn't exist. Vampires weren't real.

"You're the key to breaking the curse," Rose said.

"Curse? The sun and the moon curse?"

Did Elena know what that woman was talking about? Was Mackenzie the only person in the dark? Or the only _sane_ person?

"You do know your history," Rose nodded.

"What do you mean I'm the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No. The moonstone is what binds the curse. Sacrifice is what breaks it."

"Sacrifice?" Elena breathed out, suddenly scared.

 _Finally, a rational reaction._

"The blood of the doppelgänger. You're the doppelgänger. Which means, in order to break the curse, you're the one that has to die," Rose explained.

That finally shut Elena up. But it's also what made Mackenzie speak up.

"You people are crazy," she breathed out as she let go of Elena's hand and started to walk towards the door.

She figured she could at least try to make a run for it. After all, they weren't really vampires. They were just delusional people talking about curses and sacrifices. She just had to run fast, like she had never run before.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rose asked. She didn't sound angry, just a little annoy.

Mackenzie didn't reply, she just started to walk a little faster. The vampire sighed and, a second later, was standing right in front of the human.

"Holy…" Mackenzie gasped.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her face turned white as if she had just seen a ghost.

"You don't want to get out there," she said, "if Elijah's coming you might run into him outside and that won't end well for you," Rose said, and Mackenzie was surprised that she actually cared.

She stepped back, afraid of how close she was from the "vampire". She jumped, frightened, when someone took her hand. It was Elena.

"It's gonna be ok," she said. "It's me they want. You'll be fine. I promise."

Rose chuckled. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

Elena gave her a reproving look that the vampire shrugged away.

"Vampires don't exist," Mackenzie whispered.

"Yes. Yes, they do. I know it's a shock, and I'll explain everything later, okay, just, calm down, please."

But Mackenzie didn't want her to explain. She wanted to get the hell out of there. Away from them, all three of them.

"Let me go!"

"Mack…"

Rose didn't give Elena a chance to calm Mackenzie down. She had no patience and thought she could stop the girl from causing any more problems. She knew an easy way to keep someone quiet. She put her hand on Mackenzie's left shoulder and pushed her against the wall. The hard impact made the entire house shake. Mackenzie cried, both out of fear and pain. The vampire locked her eyes in hers and said: "Calm down. It's gonna be fine."

"Let go of me!" Mackenzie begged.

The vampire frowned. She looked confused. She looked at Elena who looked as confused as her.

"I said, calm down," she tried again.

But Mackenzie wasn't calming down. In fact, she was panicking even more.

"Why can't she be compelled?" the vampire asked, in an angry tone.

"I have no idea," Elena shook her head, asking herself the same question.

"What are you talking about?" Mackenzie cried.

"What are you?" Rose growled, squeezing the girl's shoulders harder. But Mackenzie had no answer to give her.

Rose slowly leaned forward. Mackenzie was trembling and whimpering against the wall. She gasped when she felt the vampire's nose on her neck. She heard Rose sniff several times.

"I never met a human who smelled like you," she said. "Tell me. What are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she wailed.

"Let her go. She doesn't know anything!" Elena told Rose.

Rose looked at the doppelgänger, contemplating the request. Eventually, she grew tired of hearing the girl's cries and let go of her. Elena immediately rushed to Mackenzie.

"It's gonna be okay."

But no matter how many times Elena said it, Mackenzie didn't believe her. The doppelgänger helped her up and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Mackenzie wasn't having it. Elena took her hand again and followed Rose back in the room. Mackenzie reluctantly went with her. She would rather stay with the "not-so-crazy Elena" than alone in the hallway where Trevor could walk by at any moment.

Mackenzie was trying to understand the situation. Who would believe vampires were real? But how could she not believe it now? Now that she saw how fast and how strong Rose was. How every question Elena asked and every answer Rose gave made sense somehow. In a world different than hers. A world she had no idea she lived in.

Elena wasn't giving up, she still had plenty of questions. And she wasn't afraid of Rose, or maybe she was more afraid not to have answers.

"Tell me more."

"Captivity's made her pushy, eh?"

Mackenzie jumped when she heard Trevor's voice behind her. She was lost deep in her thoughts and she hadn't heard him join them in the dark room. She stepped forward, squeezing Elena's hand harder, the way she did before, and placing her free hand on her arm, as if the only safe place in that house at the moment was behind Elena's back.

"What do you wanna know, doppelicious?" he asked, taking a piece of cardboard and putting it against another window.

"Who are you running from?"

"The Originals."

"Yeah. She said that. What does that mean?" Elena didn't sound cocky anymore, she sounded impatient, and Mackenzie just listened, trying to calm herself down but it had the opposite effect. Listening to them and their horror stories was starting to make her physically sick.

"The first family. The Old World. Rose and I pissed them off."

Rose cleared her throat in disagreement.

"Correction, I pissed them off. Rose had my back. And for over half a millennium, they've wanted us dead."

"What did you do?"

"He made the same mistake countless others did. He trusted Katerina Petrova."

"Katherine…" Elena let out in a whisper.

"The one and only. The first Petrova doppelgänger."

"I helped her escape her fate. And I've… sorry, _we_ 've been marked ever since."

"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again," Rose said before she stepped out of the room and Trevor followed her, leaving the girls alone with their thoughts.

Elena sighed. She turned around towards Mackenzie who didn't look well. She didn't look well at all.

"Come one," she said. "I'll explain everything."

Mackenzie wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. The more she learnt, the sicker she felt. Her headache became more painful every time she asked herself a new question and every time she had an answer. She just wanted to go home. For once.

Elena led her out of the room and they walked quietly in the dirty hallways of the old house. Mackenzie was afraid to speak, she dreaded Elena's next words.

As they reached the stairs and walked back to the room where they had woken up, the silence became too unbearable for Mackenzie and she finally asked her first question.

"So… Stefan is a… vampire?"

"Yes," Elena nodded. "And his brother, Damon, too. So is Caroline."

"Caroline? Forbes?"

It couldn't be possible. She had first met the blonde when she was eight. Caroline was a year younger than her, they had been in the same schools, had played the same games, had met the same people. Even though they hadn't spoken more than two words to each other, Mackenzie knew that Caroline was human. Just like she was.

"Yes. Katherine turned her."

"Katherine is…"

"My… ancestor," Elena explained. "She looks exactly like me. She's a vampire. She's… a psycho."

"Your doppelgänger?"

"Yeah… it's… a long story."

"Was it her in the black dress at the party last night?"

"Yes," Elena nodded. "Stefan and Damon had a plan to… stop her."

"So… she's dead?"

"Unfortunately, no," Elena sighed.

"But, they stopped her?"

"Yeah. They did it to protect me. And the rest of the world," she scoffed.

"… I thought… you and Stefan… I thought you two dated?"

"We did," she nodded.

"Did you break up when you found out he was a vampire?"

"I did… but then we got back together."

"But… don't vampires… drink blood?"

"They do. Stefan doesn't drink human blood."

Mackenzie was surprised. "Can he do that?" Maybe not all vampires were kidnapping monsters. Maybe not all vampires wanted to sacrifice you to break a curse.

Elena chuckled. "Yeah, he can."

They walked through the dusty room, Mackenzie's long purple dress was sweeping off the place. When they reached the couch, Elena noticed a piece of paper that wasn't there before. She took it and opened it: **Stefan and Damon are coming for you. -B.**

"What's that?" Mackenzie asked.

"It's a message from Bonnie. I told you we were gonna be fine."

"Bonnie? H-how?"

Elena bit her lower lip and looked down.

"Oh God… what now?"

"Bonnie's a witch."

Mackenzie stared at Elena, she didn't know what to do with the information. She didn't know what to think at all. She only knew that she was terrified and that she was probably gonna die soon.

"Of course she is," she breathed out as she sat on the couch.

"It'll be easier with time," Elena promised. "You'll get used to the idea."

Mackenzie knew she was right. It would never be easy, but just like the death of her mother, she would get used to the idea. She would learn to live with it. She just didn't want to.

"What does… What was Rose trying to do, earlier?"

"You mean compel you?" Elena asked, and Mackenzie nodded. "Vampires can compel people. Make them think or do things against their will." She brought a hand to her necklace. "Vervain prevents that."

"Why can't I be compelled?"

"I don't know," Elena frowned. "Supernatural creatures usually can't be compelled."

"But… I'm human."

"I don't know," Elena repeated as she shrugged. "You're the best person to know what you are."

"I'm human," Mackenzie said, sure of herself.

"Maybe you ate something with vervain in it," Elena shrugged.

"That's probably it…"

Rose entered the room with a bag and started to collect her things she had scattered around the room. Nobody said anything. Elena was waiting for Stefan and Damon to come rescue them. Mackenzie had plenty of things to think about, she had to reimagine the world she lived in, and Rose had nothing to say, she looked nervous.

After an hour, Trevor rushed into the room, completely panicked.

"He's here! This was a mistake."

Mackenzie's heart skipped a beat. _He_ meaning Elijah. _He_ meaning her probable, violent and scary murderer.

"No, I told you I would take you out of this mess. You have to trust me."

"No. He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He wants her more."

"I can't do this," he said, pacing in the room like a mad man, "you give her to him. He'll have mercy on you. But I need to get out of here!"

"Hey," Rose said as she took his hands to try and calm him down, "what are we?"

Trevor took a deep breath. "We're family. Forever."

Suddenly, a noise resonated in the room. Someone was knocking on the front door. At the realization that a bigger, stronger, badder vampire was about to make his entrance, Mackenzie sat up and moved closer to Elena.

"You're scared," the doppelgänger said, as she saw the vampires' faces.

That wasn't reassuring at all.

"Stay here with them. And don't make a sound," Rose told Trevor before she walked up the stairs and disappeared in the other room.

Elena got up, too nervous to stay seated. Mackenzie was breathing heavily. She had never been more scared in her life, and she had had many reasons to be. But she knew that she could die a horrible death in the next hour and at that moment she wished she weren't human, she wished she had some kind of power that would teleport her and Elena back to Mystic Falls.

The seconds felt like hours. They were barely breathing, waiting for Rose to come back. About ten minutes after she had left, Rose stepped back inside the room followed by a man in a suit. Elena and Mackenzie both instantly looked up as he appeared. He was looking right at the doppelgänger, like he couldn't believe was he was seeing. Elena stepped protectively in front of Mackenzie. It's her he wanted, after all.

One second, he was standing on top of the stairs, and the other he was right in front of Elena, just inches from her. Both girls gasped at the sudden apparition. Now, Elena was scared the same way Mackenzie had been all day.

He was looking at her as if she had killed his entire family, his dogs and their puppies. Elena's body was quivering and she could barely breathe. She watched him warily as he moved closer to her and leaned forward to breathe her in.

But even though he was trying to focus on the doppelgänger, he couldn't help but notice a stronger, more appealing, different, and new smell. He tilted his head on the side and saw the terrified girl on the couch behind Elena. She couldn't have looked any more frightened. She was shaking with fear, and he could hear her heart pounding hard in her chest. He caught her wet brown eyes in his and fear made it impossible for her to look away.

"What do we have here?" he smirked.

"She was with the doppelgänger when we took her," Rose explained. "We had to bring her with us."

"Why does she smell so good?" he asked Rose, but he was still looking at Mackenzie.

In his long life, he had never met someone who smelled like her.

"We don't know. She's probably not human."

"Why do you say that?"

"She can't be compelled."

"Really?" he said, he sounded and looked a bit surprised.

"She thinks she's human," Rose added. "She didn't know vampires existed before today."

"Interesting."

He focused a little while longer on the unlucky girl. Mackenzie felt like she was about to pass out. She was more scared of him than she had been of Rose and Trevor. Though, at that moment, he didn't look like he wanted to hurt her. He looked like he had a few questions for her. She hoped he wouldn't ask them because she had no answer to give him, and that wasn't a situation she imagined would end well.

"Hello there," he said smugly with a mischievous grin.

Surprised, Mackenzie blinked several times. She pressed herself against the couch, wishing she could disappear inside it.

Elijah looked at her, watched her tremble with fear, listened to her fast heartbeat, breathed in her delicious scent, and explored her face with his eyes. She was a beautiful girl, he had no doubt, even in her dirty purple dress, with her messy brown hair, the tears running down her cheeks and the mascara stains under her eyes. To Mackenzie, it looked like he was debating whether or not he was going to eat her now or keep her for later.

After what seemed like hours spent in a terrifying and somewhat uncomfortable silence, Elijah finally focused back on the matter at hand and reluctantly brought his attention back to Elena. She smelled like a human, her heart beat like a human's; she was a human.

Once he was certain that he had never met her before, that she wasn't _Katerina_ , a content smile appeared on his face, as if he was proud, or merely pleased.

"Human," he said, surprise clear in his voice.

He turned around towards Rose and nodded.

"You didn't lie."

"She's yours."

"Well," he smiled, as he turned back towards Elena. "We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."

Mackenzie worriedly looked up at Elena. There was no sign of Stefan and Damon, nobody there to help them.

"Please, don't let him take me," Elena begged Rose.

The vampire looked away, as if she were ashamed of herself. She wouldn't be doing it if she had another choice.

"One last piece of business, and we're done," Elijah said, completely ignoring Elena's pleas.

He stepped away from her and turned around towards Trevor who looked terrified. Elijah was walking around him, listening to his apologies.

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly very sorry."

"Oh, no, your apology is not necessary," Elijah told him.

Mackenzie watched carefully as the Original vampire circled around Trevor like a shark around its prey. He didn't look angry, he was smiling, as if he was amused.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Trevor insisted. "You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."

"Well, yes, you are the guilty one," Elijah nodded as he walked passed him. "And Rose aided you because she was loyal to you," he said, as he looked up at her. "That, I honor."

He stopped in front of Trevor, he was still smiling, as if the situation was somehow funny.

"Where was your loyalty?"

"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor told Elijah, as he looked up at him with scared eyes.

There was a moment of silence, during which the vampires and the girls waited for the Original's answer with anticipation.

"So granted."

Mackenzie watched as Trevor smiled, relieved, right before Elijah slapped him so hard that he cut his head off. It happened extremely fast. Elijah moved, then, there was a gross "splash" like in the movies, and Trevor's headless body fell on the ground.

Mackenzie gasped with horror as Trevor's body hit the dirty floor and blood spilled out of the vampire's neck. She couldn't look away as a pool of blood grew larger by the second where Trevor's head should have been. She felt like she was going to throw up or pass out, or both. She couldn't breathe. Her ears were ringing, and she could barely hear Rose moan and cry.

"You…" the vampire groaned with anger. She was shocked and furious and all she wanted to do at that moment was kill the Original vampire, but she knew very well that wasn't possible.

"Don't, Rose," Elijah said calmly, "now that you are free."

More tears fell down Mackenzie's cheeks, though she was crying out of fear unlike Rose who felt betrayed, lost and stupid for trusting an Original vampire.

Elijah fixed his sleeves and made sure there wasn't a drop of blood on his suit before he held his hand to Elena and instructed her to follow him.

"Come."

"No, what about the moonstone?" she said in a panic, hoping it would win some time for Stefan and Damon to come and rescue the day. She saw Elijah looked interested.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" he asked.

"I know that you need it. And I know where it is."

"Yes?" he nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is," he simply said.

"It doesn't work that way," Elena told him.

Elijah was both surprised and amused by the doppelgänger's behavior. He didn't know if she was being brave, or just plain stupid.

"Are you negotiating with me?" he asked Elena before he turned around towards Rose.

"It's the first I've heard of it," she told him.

Elijah turned back towards Elena, looking for her eyes, but noticed she couldn't be compelled. His eyes fell on her necklace and he raised an eyebrow.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" he said, angrily, before he took it and threw it across the room. "Tell me where the moonstone is," he compelled her.

"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins," she complied.

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting."

Mackenzie was still staring at Trevor lying headless in a pool of his own blood. She wasn't hearing anything, just a loud silence. Her mind was empty. She wasn't thinking about anything, she wasn't feeling anything. She was just staring, not even seeing. She didn't hear the sound of broken glass coming from the other side of the house which distracted Elijah who let go of Elena.

"What is that?" he asked Rose.

"I don't know."

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know."

Elijah grabbed Elena by her left arm and gestured Mackenzie to get up. She didn't even see him. He saw her pale face and knew she was going to be sick. He followed her gaze and sighed when his eyes landed on Trevor. He guessed he could just leave her there. She wasn't any threat to him and he could come back for her after he got rid of whoever had broken into the house. After all, if she stayed there, she wouldn't see him kill any more people, and that would probably be for the best.

Screams and other loud noises could be heard inside the house. It lasted about five minutes, not that Mackenzie could have known that. She wasn't paying attention. Maybe she fell asleep. Maybe her brain shut down. Her eyes were still on Trevor. Actually, they were on the blood. She was just seeing the blood.

At some point she felt a hand on her left arm and started to hear a buzzing noise. The noise became clearer by the seconds. It was a woman's voice. She had a British accent. She was speaking loudly but she had to repeat herself several times to get an answer.

"Little girl! Wake up! Your friends are leaving!"

When Mackenzie looked up, there was no one there. She took a deep breath and tears fell down her cheeks when she looked up and became aware of her surroundings again. She was still in that room. She hated that room.

Elena appeared at the top of the stairs with Stefan. Mackenzie tried to stand up but, as soon as she was on her feet, the room started to spin and she could feel herself fall over. She expected to hit the floor, but instead she felt someone sweep her off her feet and the last thing she saw before everything went dark was Elena's worried face.

When Mackenzie woke up, for the second time that day, she was in her bedroom. It was a clean room, with white walls and a wooden floor. She was lying on her bed in her dirty purple dress. She was panicked and breathing heavily. She sat up and quickly looked around the room to make sure she was alone. It was dark, but the lights from the streets were enough to allow her to spot a piece of paper on her night table. She took it with a shaky hand.

 **Come to us if you have any questions. Elijah is dead. I am so sorry. -E**

She stared at the note like it was contaminated with the plague. On one hand, she was relieved that Elijah was dead, on the other hand, it confirmed that day had really happened and it wasn't just a dream.

A spark appeared in the middle of the room, and for an instant Mackenzie thought she was hallucinating. That was until the note caught fire on its own. She gasped as she let go of the paper which fell back on her bed sheet. She backed away, pressing her back against the wall, and watched it consume itself. It wasn't a normal fire. It didn't spread to the sheet, and it didn't even burn her. It felt warm, but it didn't feel threatening. The note was gone and only smoke remained. There weren't even any ashes.

The smell of burned paper invaded the room as Mackenzie realized her stepfather wasn't the scariest man in the world anymore. Now, she had to fear vampires, witches, and maybe even herself.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. A Truly Beautiful Creature

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you for the nice reviews!**

 **I hope you'll like this one too!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The weak light of dawn filtered through the clear blue curtains and slightly reflected on the silk purple dress lying on the wooden floor.  
Mackenzie was a mess. She was lying on her bed, in a large and used grey shirt that was so old she couldn't even remember where it came from. She was staring at the white wall with half-opened eyes. She was exhausted. She didn't sleep though. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it happened all over again. Trevor's head flying away from his body. That was something hard to forget; something to have nightmares about for a very long time.

Her phone rang, suddenly, breaking the deep silence that had settled in the room a few hours before. She didn't move. She heard it, but she didn't move. _What did it mean?_ It meant she had to get up. To take a shower, to get ready, to cook breakfast – not only for her but for Robert, her stepfather – and to go to school. School with Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett, doppelgänger and witch. School with Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes, vampires.

It was so ridiculous to even think about it. Caroline Forbes, the sheriff's daughter, was a vampire. Caroline Forbes, the girl Mackenzie had first met when she was eight. Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls. Caroline Forbes, the girl who tried too hard. Caroline Forbes, living dead and blood thirsty vampire.

"Turn off your fucking alarm!"

For the first time in almost six hours, Mackenzie moved. She jumped, startled by Robert, and quickly did as he said.

"Sorry!"

He mumbled something she couldn't hear. Vampires were scary, there was no doubt, but right now, she had bigger problems. She had to deal with her grumpy stepfather who would be in the kitchen in which no breakfast had been made. If Robert's hands weren't strong enough to cut somebody's head off, they still could leave some nasty bruises.

She jumped out of bed and found a pair of old black leggings with holes in it – and not because it was fashionable – and quickly put it on before she rushed out of her bedroom. She was relieved when she heard the water running in Robert's bathroom. He was taking a shower, and that left her about ten minutes to make the pancakes, fifteen if he was having a bad hair day.

Robert was a lawyer – and not a very good one if you asked her. He had been working for the same law firm for over a decade. He didn't want to leave his job and that was the reason why her mother and Mackenzie had moved to Mystic Falls. He was a nice man who seemed to genuinely care about Mackenzie. He was like a father to her, at least, to some extent. He had never been abusive in anyway with her or her mother. But when she died, something changed. Kind of like the stepmother in Cinderella, if Lady Tremaine were a drunk. Aella's cancer had drained him financially, and Mackenzie guessed he was hoping that she had left him some money in her will. But everything she had, she left to her daughter. It wasn't much, even though the sum of money wasn't insignificant. What got Mackenzie curious, though, was the huge ancient chest in the attic. She had tried everything to open it, but nothing had worked. And she wasn't about to ask Robert for help; she wasn't suicidal.

But Robert had managed to get back on his feet. You were never in any _real_ financial problems when you were a lawyer. At least, you weren't supposed to be. After a few cases that went his way – you could never lose when you always settled – his boss had promoted him and gave him a bonus. Mackenzie remembered that month well; he had been in a very good mood.

Pancakes and coffee ready, Mackenzie hurried back up in her room. She took a deep breath, relieved she had managed to avoid him so far. Her eyes found the dirty purple dress that was still on the floor and she suddenly felt sick. She looked to her left and found the black garment bag hanging from the door of her bathroom. She took a few steps to grab the gown but she stopped before she put it back in the bag.

She remembered when she found it, in an old shop, during a hot afternoon. Nobody had invited her to prom, and she had no intention of going, but her mother had insisted that they find a dress anyway. It was like she knew she wouldn't be there for the real thing. Aella was the one who first spotted the purple dress and even though all Mackenzie wanted to do was go home, she indulged her mother and tried it on. She loved that dress. She used to love that dress, anyway. Now, she could barely look at it. It broke her heart to think that way about one of the last things that she had left of her mother. She put it back into the garment bag and hid it inside her closet behind a row of clothes.

She took her phone to check the time: **6:18 – Friday, March 26.**

She wasn't late and she could really use a long and cold shower. She usually took her time. Unless it would make her really late for school, she never got out of her room if Robert was still in the house. She waited for him to leave for work, which gave her time to properly get ready. She didn't particularly like makeup, but it was very useful when she had to hide bruises or a black eye. She had become pretty good at it. Everything was settled in a convenient way in the clean bathroom. The towels were on the towel holder next to the shower cabin, the hair-dryer was away from the bathtub – to avoid any unfortunate accident – her makeup was in her bedroom, in the ancient vanity she had inherited from her mother who had herself inherited it from her mother. She had learned that keeping her makeup inside the bathroom could lead to a big mess that required a long and hard time to fix – especially if everything in there was white. Besides, the light of day was always useful and better than the artificial yellow light of the bathroom.

She made sure her makeup was perfect before she quickly put on a white velvet quilted mini skirt that had a thin belt of the same color and two big pockets on the front, then found a lilac ramie sweater in her closet. She grabbed her black blazer and the strap of her white bag into which she shoved her notebook and gave a look out the window to make sure Robert's car was gone. That's when she saw her car in the driveway and remembered it should still be at the Lockwood's. She wondered who had brought it back there, and how. She thought of Stefan, whom she had always found to be really nice. Of course, now it was a different story. It was a relief to have found the car in the driveway. She hadn't thought of it but she would have had no means to get to school without it.

 _Would that have been so bad?_

She quickly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She put her bag and blazer down on the black marble counter and cleaned Robert's mess before she sat down to finish the pancakes. She had everything she needed in front of her. The plates, the fruits, the fork, the knife and the glass. Except the glass was empty. She looked up to see the bottle of orange juice across the counter and leaned forward to get it. But as she held her hand and opened it, the bottle came to her on its own. It silently and slowly slid towards her.

Mackenzie jumped away, and almost hit her head against the shelves behind her.

"Holy sh…"

She stared at the immobile bottle like it was going to kill her. What was that? Was she going crazy? Was that real? Did she imagine it?

 _What the hell is happening to me?_

Never before had this happened. She had never set anything on fire nor had she been able to move anything _with her mind_. Why was this happening now? What was different now? What had changed?

She slowly approached the bottle like it was a wild animal. She held out her hand, hoping it wouldn't move again on its own. When she grabbed it, nothing strange happened. She opened it and poured juice in her empty glass before she put it back inside the fridge. At least, it wouldn't move on its own there, or if it did, she wouldn't see it. She sat back down, still unsettled by what had just happened. She hesitantly took the glass and smelled the liquid before she drank it. It was orange juice. _Of course, it was orange juice._

Maybe she did imagine it. After all, she hadn't slept.

As she ate, her mind travelled to dark places. Robert would be mad, for sure, for her absence the day before. She could already hear him scream about how he was late for work because he had to cook his own breakfast and how he almost starved because she hadn't been there to make him dinner. There was no escaping him this time, and she was sure that, the next day, she will have to use her makeup to cover more than just the bags under her eyes.

She put everything in the dishwasher before she put on her white heeled ankle boots and readied herself to leave. But when she placed her hand on the handle of the front door, she froze. It was the first time she was afraid of getting out of that house. It was the first time she felt safer inside than out. She didn't want to get out, and missing school was the least of her priorities. But, as usual, she started to think about the worst-case scenarios. If she didn't go to school, Robert would hear about it, and he wouldn't be happy, and not because he cared about her education.

She took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door with her shaky hand, half-expecting to see Elijah standing on her porch. It was irrational, and she knew it. Elijah was dead after all. She quickly made her way to her car and was careful to lock the doors once she was inside. It gave her a fake sensation of safety, but she had no doubt if a vampire wanted to get inside, they would get inside.

She found a note on the passenger seat. She hesitated. What if that note caught on fire too?

 **I found your car at the Lockwoods. See you at school. -S**

She wasn't entirely surprised. That was a nice gesture from him. Maybe, it was his way of telling her that he was her friend, and she had nothing to fear from him.

When she arrived at school, it was still early. She sat there, in her car, watching her classmates talking and laughing, having no idea about the world they lived in. She wished she were like them. She wished she weren't afraid of getting out of her car. Anyone there, the students, the teachers… anyone could be a vampire, or a witch, or something other than human.

It was sunny outside. It didn't rain often in Mystic Falls. Some students were sitting on the green grass, others were rushing inside the school, the rest just talked to their friends about everything and anything. Things that didn't really matter. Mackenzie watched them, like she did sometimes, when she didn't want to leave her car. She never had many friends, or any for that matter. It's not that they hadn't tried talking to her, she did have a couple of friends back when her mother was alive. But after Robert started "acting out" she thought it would be easier to stay alone, so at least she wouldn't have to explain the bruises, or try to make them believe that she was so clumsy she fell down the stairs every two days.

Mackenzie took a deep breath before she picked up her blazer and her bag and got out of her car. She looked around, maybe for Elena, or Rose, or Elijah, she didn't really know. She felt paranoid but she didn't feel stupid. She knew what was out there. She knew she was right to be careful. Every step she took made the knot in her stomach grow bigger. Every loud laugh, or scream, or sudden movement startled her.

The wind blew stronger suddenly, and her hair flew into her face. She thought she heard someone whisper her name in her right ear. It sounded like a female voice. It sounded almost familiar but it was very quiet. Mackenzie turned around but there was no one there. She looked around and there wasn't even anyone near her. Now she started to feel stupid.

School was supposed to be a safe place, where no one could get hurt. Mackenzie never felt threatened at school. She liked learning and she was a good student. But as she walked in the hallways and listened to the laughs and chatter she couldn't stop thinking about "what if?". If Caroline Forbes was a vampire, what if other students were vampires as well, and Elena just didn't know it. What if some teachers weren't human?

She walked through the school like Alice walked through the dark forest in Wonderland. Scared, confused, and lost. There could be a monster around any corner. Literally. Caroline Forbes was talking to Bonnie Bennett at her locker. There was no sign of Elena, no sign of Stefan either. Not in that corner, anyway.

But when she arrived at her locker, she saw him there, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Mackenzie, hi," he slightly smiled, like he was happy to see her, or he just didn't want to scare her.

"Stefan…" she whispered, intimidated. She didn't know what to say. She might be scared, but she was still polite. And she wasn't brave enough to tell him to go away.

"How are you? How did you sleep?"

"… I didn't," she answered, avoiding eye contact, before she opened her locker.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," he said, giving her a sad look. "I'm very sorry you got caught into this."

"It's over now," Mackenzie quickly said. There was no reason why she should still be "into this". "I'm not gonna tell anyone about anything. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried," Stefan replied. "That's not why I'm here."

She finally looked up at him, wondering what he could possibly want from her.

"I thought you might have some questions."

"I'm not sure I wanna hear the answers."

"Aren't you even a little bit curious about what you are?"

Mackenzie frowned. "I'm human," she told him. Even though she was starting to doubt even that.

"You can't be compelled," he reminded her. As if she could forget it.

"I must have eaten something with vervain in it," she shrugged, but she wasn't fooling him, or her.

"I think you would know," he said, skeptical.

"Look, Stefan… What happened yesterday… happened," she said, she was struggling to find the right words, she was confused and the last thing she wanted was to upset him. After all, he was a vampire, and she figured it would be a bad idea to upset a vampire. "And, whatever is happening to me… I don't wanna know. I just want everything to go back to how it was."

"What do you mean 'Whatever is happening to you'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest.

Mackenzie took a book out of her locker before she closed it. What could she tell him that would make him let it go?

"Nothing," she lied as she looked down. "I'm gonna be late for class."

"Listen," he stopped her. She flinched when he put a hand on her forearm. "You're afraid of me," he realized.

She looked down, a little bit ashamed. She felt bad for having hurt his feelings.

"I'm sorry, I just… I just need to be alone right now," she said, before she walked away without giving him another look.

"You should talk to Bonnie!" he told her, as he watched her leave.

No, Mackenzie had no intention of talking to Bonnie. She was planning on staying as far away as possible of any supernatural creatures, including witches.

She didn't pay attention in class. She couldn't focus. She couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious fire, the orange juice or the talking wind. What if Stefan was right? What if she wasn't human? What if she was a witch? Or something else? Something more dangerous…

Suddenly, she remembered stories her mother used to tell her when she was a child. She couldn't remember it all, but she knew it was something about a war and witches. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of a dark story to tell a child.

 _It was a very long time ago, in the Enchanted Forest_ – that happened to be in Germany – _were witches and fairies had always lived in constant rivalry. The witches were jealous of the fairies because they had so much power but were not bound by nature to use them for the common good. Fairies were tricksters. And mean pranksters. They lived carelessly and never used their powers to attack or defend themselves. That was until the witches started the war. They forced the fairies into hiding. They helped werewolves in their search of fairy colonies – a fairy's scent attracted the werewolves more than anything – fairies had to start to defend themselves and eventually developed dangerous skills. But in the end, it was too late, and fairies disappeared from the earth. And the witches won the war._

Mackenzie didn't know which part was the most ridiculous. That the Enchanted Forest was actually in Germany or that fairies, even though they were stronger than witches, lost the war anyway. It just didn't make sense. But that was another question to add to her list: did – or do – fairies and werewolves exist?She didn't know why she bothered to make a list anyway.

Mackenzie didn't see Elena at all that day, not that it bothered her. Stefan didn't try to talk to her again, but she wasn't going to push her luck and she hurried back to her car after class and drove straight back home.

She locked her front door before she settled at her desk, in her bedroom. Usually, she would do her homework, but she still couldn't focus. She will be distracted for a while. As she sat there, immobile, staring at a blank page, she started to really think about what her life was at that moment, what it used to be, and what it will never be again. Long gone were the days when her only problem was her drunk stepfather – though he didn't need to be drunk to be an abusive monster – long gone were the nights when she dreamt about traveling the world and leaving Mystic Falls and go as far away from Robert as humanly possible. Long gone were the days when she felt safe or loved.

Now, she was all alone, and it had never been harder on her.

She fell asleep on her desk and was woken up by the loud slamming of the front door. She jumped, startled.

 _Oh, no._

It was 9PM. Robert was back from work and dinner wasn't ready. She couldn't believe she slept for over three hours. There was no escaping him now.

She ran a hand on the back of her neck. It was sore from the bad position she had stayed in all afternoon. She rubbed her eyes, remembered she was wearing makeup, washed it off in a hurry, before she quickly walked down the stairs to face the man her mother had fallen in love with a decade before.

What she hadn't noticed before she left were the candles in her room, all lit up. It was weird, because they smelled too. They were the exact same candles, so the smell was strong. But still, she hadn't noticed them. Maybe she was too tired. There were two candles on each side of the vanity, another one on her desk, and a last one on the night table at the left of her bed, next to the bathroom door. It was getting dark outside. The windows of her room were closed and the light of twilight painted the white walls with orange. The minutes passed and the light faded away, and the room fell into darkness, with only four little candles to fight it.

It was a typical Friday night for Mackenzie. And she knew exactly what was going to happen. She walked in the kitchen and found Robert leaning against the fridge, a bottle of beer in his hand. She stayed at a reasonable distance.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"I… I…"

"I, I what? You weren't there yesterday! No dinner, no breakfast, not even a warning! Where were you?"

Mackenzie always froze when she was being yelled at, but she had to say something, or things would get worse.

"I was with a friend," she answered in a whisper.

"What friend?" he spat, as if he didn't believe she could have any.

"Elena… Elena Gilbert."

"Elena Gilbert's not your friend," he scoffed. "Don't lie to me," he growled, and as he took a step forward, she took a step back.

"My car refused to start. She saw me and insisted to drive me back home. It was late and I didn't want to wake you up so I stayed at her house," she said, very quickly.

"Right, and I'm supposed to believe she fixed your car, too?"

"Stefan Salvatore fixed it for me," she lied, thinking fast on her feet. She had no idea he could actually have done it.

"Well, you have an answer for everything, don't you?" he muttered. "You didn't think about sending me a message?" he asked as he stepped closer to her. "I was late for work yesterday, my boss wasn't happy with me," he growled, pointing a finger at her.

"I'm sor…"

But she couldn't even finish. As soon as she opened her mouth, his large hand flew to her cheek and hit her. Hit her hard.

"Shut up! Did I say you could talk?" he yelled, taking her chin between his fingers, his thumb pressing against her jaw. "Did I say you could talk?" he repeated in a low and threatening voice.

Mackenzie could barely breathe. She was crying and trying to get some air in her lungs.

"This is my house! You live under my roof! You live by my rules!"

He pushed her against the wall, making the entire house shake. She moaned and cried out in pain. He let go of her jaw and she could feel his fingers slide down her throat. He pressed as hard as he could – it wasn't without effort – and she could feel his hot and disgusting breath on her face.

"Look at me," he growled, and she did. "You have a phone, don't you?"

She tried to nod but she couldn't, so she tried to talk instead.

"Yes," she choked.

"Then, call next time," he said before he let her go.

She took a deep breath and brought a hand to her throat as soon as she reached the ground. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

"Get out of my face. I'll cook my own damn dinner."

Mackenzie staggered back inside her bedroom, crying in silence as to not irritate him any more. She let herself fall on her bed and used her pillow to muffle her cries. It even hurt to do that now. After an hour, her pillow was completely soaked. She sat up and threw it away. It landed on the floor, in front of her mirror, in which she saw eight mysterious lights in her room. She looked around, but only saw four candles. She looked back at the mirror and everything looked normal. Maybe her vision was blurry from all the crying. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, but she hadn't been relaxed in a very long time.

It was a typical Friday night for Mackenzie. Not that the weekend went any differently.

Though, Mackenzie couldn't honestly say that nothing had changed. On Saturday, when she went grocery shopping, the wind had had a few things to say. Like her name, or something else she couldn't understand. It was always the same female voice that Mackenzie thought she knew but couldn't recognize. That night, dinner hadn't been good enough to Robert's taste and she went to bed with a black eye. On Sunday, she let the jar of sugar fall out of her hand after it flew to her – once again – while she was cooking breakfast, delaying the pancakes and making her stepfather angry. On that night, Robert – who went golfing with his colleagues and lost – came home just to punch her in the jaw, hurting his knuckles, cutting her lower lip, and leaving a nasty bruise on the left side of her mouth. Nothing Mackenzie couldn't hide with a little – or quite a lot of – makeup.

The weekend had been painful, and not just because of Robert's bad mood. Mackenzie was exhausted. She couldn't sleep. She was terrified to close her eyes. As a child, she had been scared of the dark, and that was exactly how she felt; afraid and defenseless.

When she woke up Monday morning, the candles in her bedroom were lit. All four of them. Just like they had been the two mornings before.

Four days had passed since she had woken up in the dirty old room with Elena and the two vampires that had kidnapped them. Four days since that note caught fire on its own. Three days since she moved the orange juice with her mind. Two days since she heard the wind say her name for the second time. One day since the jar of sugar moved when she looked at it.

She managed to avoid Robert that morning. She was right on schedule. She took a shower, dried her hair, hid the bruises with makeup, put on a pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirt, then blew out the candles before she walked downstairs. She put her white bag and her black blazer on the counter before she sat down to finish the pancakes. She stared at the bottle of orange juice in front of her, waiting for it to move on its own. But after a couple of minutes, nothing happened. She sighed, either relieved or disappointed – she couldn't tell – before she moved to take it. As she reached for it, it suddenly moved, exactly like it had the week before. She no longer had any excuse or rational explanation for it. She still didn't know why it was happening now. That, and the other "incidents", left no doubt in her mind; Stefan was right. She wasn't human and she was indeed curious about it. Who wouldn't be?

But as she drove to school, she wondered if it was wise to ask about it. Would it stop if she just ignored it? Could she ignore it? Could anyone give her answers? Was she a witch like Bonnie? If not, what else could she be? What else was out there?

As she asked herself how it was possible that she was something else other than human and not even know about it, a thought suddenly crossed her mind. What would be scarier? Knowing exactly what was happening to her and why? Or trying to live with the mystery until the day she died?

She didn't pay attention in class. Again. She was too distracted, she had too much to think about and algebra wasn't a priority at that moment. Unfortunately, it seemed her teacher disagreed with that. He called her once, but she didn't hear him. He called her name a second time, but still, she didn't answer. Determined to get her attention, he took his huge algebra book and slammed it on her table. She jumped, startled by the loud noise that resonated in the classroom.

"Are we daydreaming now, Miss Alemaund?"

"Sorry, sir," she whispered so low he didn't hear her.

"What was that?"

She could feel her cheeks turn red and her heart beat stronger.

"I'm sorry sir," she repeated, trying to speak a little louder.

"Let's see if you heard anything I just said."

As she was incapable of answering any of his questions, she could see he was enjoying the torture he was putting her through. After a minute of him yelling, she couldn't hold it anymore and as a tear fell down her cheek the room suddenly became louder. She couldn't hear the silence of her uncomfortable classmates or the screams of her angry professor anymore. She could only hear the deafening buzzing noise that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. As if it was coming from within her. The cold air made her shiver and as the tear fell on the blank page of her notebook, the inside of the trash can caught fire.

She gasped as she saw the flames. The screams of her classmates alerted their teacher who quickly grabbed the bottle of water from his desk and emptied it to extinguish the small fire. Mackenzie couldn't see their confused faces as she couldn't move her eyes from the burnt trash can.

It wasn't a typical Monday morning for Mackenzie.

She drove straight back home, afraid of what was going to happen next. Afraid she might hurt someone. Afraid she might hurt herself. She was so tired she couldn't even think straight. She didn't know what to do. Nothing was clear. Everything was blurry.

She was pacing in her room, asking herself questions she couldn't answer. The four candles were lit and burning hot in the room. She was tired, not just physically but emotionally. She was tired of being scared all the time. Tired of that knot inside her stomach. Her life was already a mess and now it was only getting worse.

 _I didn't ask for this. I don't want to be a witch. I don't want to have powers. I just want everything to go back to normal._

Normal? What was normal? Was anything normal? Had anything ever been normal?

She couldn't even remember.

Nothing had been normal in two years. Robert's behavior wasn't normal. Living in fear wasn't normal. What was so bad about having powers? What was so bad about being different? If Robert was normal, then she didn't want to be _normal._

But was being different any better?

What to do?

 _What to do?_

As the sky turned orange, she knew she didn't have time – or the luxury – to continue battling with herself. Robert would be home soon, and dinner had to be ready when he arrived. She thought a cold shower might help her but all it did was give her more time to ask herself more questions.

She didn't have the courage nor the appetite to have dinner with her stepfather and went to bed at eight. As she laid in bed, in her room lighted by four candles, she knew she couldn't go on like this. Everything was easier when it was just Robert and her. Now, it wasn't even about him anymore. She had bigger problems, and only Elena Gilbert could help her solve them.

Tuesday morning looked beautiful. The weather was nice and Mackenzie woke up in a good mood, despite the pain all over her face and the state she was in when she fell asleep. She had a silly thought, something her mother used to say; "the full moon would do that to you".

 _At the full moon, men became wolves, and fairies became… even more fairy-ish?_ Mackenzie couldn't exactly remember what it was, but things happened during a full moon, and not just good things. It made her wonder, if she had powers, maybe her mother had some too, and maybe the stories she told her when she was young weren't just stories. She couldn't tell if she was angry or sad about it. Probably angry. If her mother were a witch, and if she were a witch herself, she should have told her. Now, she was going through it alone, terrified, and with no idea of what to do.

When she stepped in Mystic High, the knot in her stomach came back and she started to feel nervous again. She had successfully managed to avoid Elena and her non-human friends so far, but that day she wasn't nervous about not seeing them. On the contrary, she had made up her mind and decided it couldn't hurt to ask a few questions. _Could it?_ She wasn't entirely sure if she were going to ask about what was happening to her, but it might make her feel better to know a little more about the world she lived in. The real one.

Elena was nowhere to be found. She wasn't at her locker, and Mackenzie didn't see her car in the parking lot. She tried looking for Stefan or Bonnie but neither of them was around.

Maybe the reason why she had been so successful in avoiding them was because they never went to school.

After not accidentally setting something on fire and after she was done with her homework she decided to fix Robert's dinner and leave him a note to explain why she wouldn't be there until later that night. Of course, she wasn't about to write the truth: _Just going to Elena's house and ask her about vampires and witches, be home late, bye._

She wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of going to Elena's house uninvited. But she had no way to contact her since she didn't have her number. Besides, she wasn't exactly uninvited. After all, even though she didn't have the note anymore, Elena did say that she could go to them if she had any questions. And she had plenty of questions.

After a few moments of hesitation – which only made the knot in her stomach grow bigger – she looked at her face in the rearview mirror one last time to make sure her makeup was still perfect. Of course, it was impossible for her to hide the cut on the left side of her lower lip, but she had the perfect excuse ready.

It had been a long day. The cold night made Mackenzie shiver when she got out of her car. Suddenly, the wind blew stronger around her and, once again, she heard her name. But this time, it was more of a plea, a muffled scream, like the wind didn't want her to take another step. She shivered a second time, bothered by the creepy sensation. She looked around, but there was no one there. She really hoped she would get some answers soon.

She knocked on the door and, while she waited for someone to answer, she regretted having forgotten her blazer in her car. She was freezing. It didn't take long for the door to open. Elena, who looked bored and irritated, was surprised to see Mackenzie standing on her porch.

"Hey!"

"Hi… I'm sorry to bother you, I wanted to call but…"

"It's fine," Elena cut her off. "I'm happy to see you! I was worried about you. Please, come in."

"Thanks," she said with a polite smile.

As she entered, Mackenzie noticed the books and boxes scattered around the hallway.

"Are you moving somewhere?" Mackenzie joked, in an attempt to relax.

"Um, no… I have no idea what's happening in my own house," she chuckled. "How have you been?"

"Oh, you know… I've been better."

"I bet. So, what can I do for you?"

Mackenzie didn't reply right away. "I, uh…" she cleared her throat. "I have some questions…"

"I thought you might," Elena smiled.

"And… I think you were right."

"About what?"

"I think… there's something wrong with me."

Elena frowned. "Something wrong with you? You mean… the reason why you can't be compelled?"

"Yeah… I think… I think I'm a witch or something. Strange things have been happening to me all weekend."

Elena nodded. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out. We'll help you. Bonnie is still learning too. You'll be fine, I promise."

Mackenzie was surprised that Elena wasn't. She just told her that she might be a witch and she didn't even flinch. In what world did one not get scared – or at least surprised – at something like that? A world Mackenzie wasn't sure she wanted to live in.

"Come on, I'll make you a cup of tea. I… have something to tell you."

"What?"

That did not sound reassuring at all, and Mackenzie started to feel a little worried. Elena was about to answer when she heard someone walk towards them. It was her aunt Jenna coming from the kitchen. She squatted near the boxes and she appeared to be looking for something inside the closet beneath the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Elena asked her aunt.

"Oh, perfect timing," she smiled when she saw her. "Hi," she waved at Mackenzie.

"Hello," she smiled politely.

Jenna gave a box filled with books to Elena.

"Whoa, whoa," Elena reacted to the heavy thing. "What is this stuff?"

"Your mom's files from the historical society. I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood. And by roped, I mean I'm very excited to participate," she said the end unnecessarily loudly as the girls were perfectly capable of hearing her.

Mackenzie had always been fascinated by history and she started to look inside the box Elena was holding. She saw Jenna getting up in the corner of her eyes. The red-haired woman closed the door of the closet that blocked the way to the kitchen and Mackenzie looked up when she heard Elena gasp. The doppelgänger jumped, clearly startled by something. Mackenzie wondered what could possibly make her react this way and followed her gaze.

Her heart almost dropped when she saw the Original vampire standing in Elena's kitchen, smiling and _alive_.

"Hey," he grinned mischievously. "I'm Elijah."

As soon as he spoke, the tall candle on the buffet cabinet at the girl's left caught fire. Mackenzie completely regretted the choice she had made to come here.

Maybe normal wouldn't be so bad after all.

Fortunately, Jenna didn't see the candle magically light up on its own and didn't even pay attention to it when she turned around to take the box from Elena. Elijah raised an eyebrow and looked amused by Mackenzie's unimpressive magic trick.

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls," Jenna explained.

Elijah smiled at Elena's aunt as she walked past him to put the box down with the others on the kitchen counter. He walked towards the girls, still smiling. He didn't look threatening, _except for the fact that he cut somebody's head off six days before,_ _ **and he was supposed to be dead**_ _._

"It's a pleasure," he said, holding his hand out to Elena.

They locked eyes, and it took her a few seconds to take the hand he was offering her. His eyes immediately moved on to Mackenzie.

"Hello there," he said with a gentle voice.

Mackenzie didn't have the courage nor the voice to answer. She was petrified, staring right back at his brown eyes. Elena quickly removed her hand from his and took Mackenzie's hand, whom she knew was probably doing the absolute maximum to not run away screaming. Mackenzie hid her petite figure behind the doppelgänger, like she had done after Rose had tried to compel her, and squeezed Elena's arm, like a little girl, afraid of a stranger, would cling to her mother.

"You're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff. Or Elena and I could help you load it into your car," Jenna told Elijah as she walked back in the hallway.

"Yeah, or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow," he said.

"Also a good plan," Jenna nodded and smiled.

"Thank you so much for _inviting_ me into your home, Jenna," he said as he followed her out of the house.

Elena moved carefully as she turned around to keep Mackenzie behind her back and away from Elijah.

"And, Elena, I hope to see you again sometime soon," he told her, the double meaning obvious to the doppelgänger.

He hadn't stopped smiling. His threat made Mackenzie shiver. He gave the scared girl one last and long look before he turned around and stepped out of the house.

"You said he was dead," Mackenzie breathed out.

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. We were wrong. Come on."

She took her hand and hurriedly led her upstairs.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to tell my brother he was invited inside!"

"What? What do you mean?"

Elena didn't reply. She knocked hard on the door but Jeremy didn't answer right away. She then reached for the handle but a hand caught her wrist and stopped her. She gasped, startled by the sudden apparition. She looked up to see Elijah, who was holding Mackenzie by her left arm. He gestured Elena to be quiet before he brought the unlucky girl to him and covered her mouth with his right hand. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his left arm around her waist to keep her still. He could feel her tears falling on his hand, he could hear her heart beating fast in her chest, but above all, he could smell her blood pumping in her veins. Mackenzie felt his nose in her hair moving down her neck. He inhaled her delicious scent and she trembled in his arms when she heard him. He tightened his grip as he breathed in her appetizing fragrance and he felt her wince. He knew he couldn't possibly have hurt her, that wasn't what he was trying to do, and he controlled his strength perfectly. He must have pressed on an old injury. Mackenzie was looking at Elena with wild eyes, completely panicked, and scared out of her mind.

"Sh, sh, sh."

She heard him shush gently in her left ear in an attempt to calm her. Jeremy finally opened the door, a minute after Elena had tried to alert him. He looked like he had just woken up.

"What is it?"

Elena ran a hand through her hair and tried to find a quick excuse.

"Um… Jenna was just asking me to get you to help her with the boxes."

"Oh, yeah," Jeremy nodded before he walked down the stairs, leaving the girls with the Original vampire.

"That's a wise choice," Elijah said as he let go of Mackenzie.

"What do you want?" Elena asked, as her frightened friend stumbled in her arms.

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat."

Mackenzie sniffed and wiped the tears off of her cheeks, wincing as she hurt herself in the process. She hoped her makeup was still doing its job. She didn't feel like talking about all the bruises that were hidden behind it right now.

"Come on," Elena said, leading them to her bedroom.

Elijah stepped in first. Mackenzie stayed close to the door, trying to catch her breath and calm down.

"You okay?" Elena asked her.

Mackenzie nodded. Elijah sat at the end of the room, on the couch, near the window.

"Forgive the intrusion," he said. "I mean your family no harm."

"No harm? Look at her! She's terrified!"

"I apologize. But I knew if your brother saw her he'd know something was wrong. I just needed her to be quiet."

Elena squeezed Mackenzie's hand before she stepped closer to Elijah.

"Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?" she asked, surprising Mackenzie.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken."

Both girls were confused. He could see Elena needed an explanation.

"Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals but those that fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelgänger exists there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him, and I can't have that."

"Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?" Elena asked, still confused.

"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse."

"So what is your goal?" Elena asked and, once again, surprised Mackenzie by her tone. There was no fear in her voice. She sounded irritated.

"Klaus' obsessions have made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He trusts only those in his circle."

"Like you?"

"Not anymore."

"You don't know where he is, do you?" she asked, but he didn't reply. His silence gave her the answer she needed. "So you're trying to use me to draw him out," she guessed.

"Well, to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."

Mackenzie frowned. _What was he talking about?_ Maybe she had been wrong all along. Maybe Elena wasn't brave. Maybe she just didn't have a survival instinct.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Elena asked him. She might be braver than Mackenzie, but she wasn't stupid.

"Well, if I wasn't being truthful, your family would be dead and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now. Instead, I'm here and I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"What kind of a deal?"

Elijah stood up. "Do nothing." He started walking around the room, and it made Mackenzie uneasy. She pressed herself against the wall, hoping he would stay away from her. But, seeing how he was looking at her, she doubted it. "Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting. And when the time is right, you and I shall draw Klaus out together and I shall make certain your friends remain unharmed." He was talking to Elena but looking right at Mackenzie. She had him in the corner of her eyes but was way too scared to make eye contact. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. He tilted his head on the side and looked her up and down, curious about her, about her smell, about her powers.

"And then what?"

Finally, he turned his attention back on Elena and she could see on his face he was trying to make himself perfectly clear. "Then I kill him."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Elena doubted he was even capable of killing Klaus. He could see she wasn't entirely convinced.

"I'm a man of my word, Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal."

 _Tell that to Trevor…_

Elena looked back at Mackenzie who shyly looked back at her.

"How are you gonna be able to keep everybody safe?"

"You know, I notice you have a friend, Bonnie, is it? She seems to possess the gift of magic, just like your friend right here," he said, pointing at Mackenzie. "I have friends with similar gifts."

"You know witches," Elena nodded.

"And together, we can protect everybody that matters to you. So, do we have a deal?"

Elena thought about it for a moment before an idea crossed her mind. If she were to do this, she should at least make sure she got the most out of it.

"I need you to do one more thing for me."

Mackenzie frowned, wondering what game Elena was playing.

"We're negotiating now?"

"My friend Stefan is stuck in the tomb with Katherine. You said you knew witches. I want you to get him out."

Mackenzie was surprised, and worried. The last time she saw Stefan was Friday, at school, when he was nicely trying to help her and she just walked away from him. She hoped he was okay.

Elijah considered it for a moment, before he nodded.

"Very well. I assume you want Katerina to stay in the tomb?"

"That would be preferable."

"I agree," he nodded. He turned his head towards Mackenzie who instantly looked away which made him smirk. "Then, we have a deal."

He made his way to the door and stopped in front of Mackenzie, who found her feet to be more interesting than him. Elena watched carefully as the Original looked down at the trembling girl.

"So you think you're a witch, mmh?" he said, trying to get her attention. "No, I don't think so."

That did the trick. She looked up at him with her big wet hazel eyes filled with questions, and she could see he was proud of himself. Or maybe he was just enjoying what a big mess she was. He frowned when he saw the cut on her lower lip. She flinched when she saw his hand getting closer to her face. He wasn't smiling anymore. He slowly moved his fingertips along her jaw. His eyes travelled on her face as if he could see right through the makeup. She looked away as he brushed his thumb over the visible wound. He caught her chin between his fingers to gently make her look up, and he trapped her eyes in his. She was surprised by the absence of pain. She didn't understand the look in his eyes. It was something she had never seen before. It wasn't hatred, it wasn't pity, it wasn't just mere curiosity, it was… fascination. His eyes fell back on her lips, and his cold thumb returned to her cut. She was fazed by his gentle touch and his apparent concern.

"What happened here?" he asked, in a tone that unsettled her. He didn't sound worried, maybe a little bit angry, but definitely curious.

She didn't answer. She knew he wouldn't believe any lie she would tell him. He seemed like a particular smart man. Even though he wasn't technically a man. And she didn't want to upset him by doing something as stupid as lying.

 _Why did he care anyway?_

"Nothing," she whispered so low Elena didn't hear her.

"Nothing, uh?" he repeated, as he caressed her small wound one last time.

She flinched again when he moved his hand up. His thumb grazed over the black eye he wasn't supposed to see. She winced as he touched the sensitive area.

"What do you think she is?" Elena asked suddenly, weirded out by the heavy silence, and hoping to stop whatever was happening in front of her.

"Oh, I think she's a rare, truly beautiful creature," he replied, catching Mackenzie's eyes one more time, smirking as he watched her cheeks turn red. "Way more powerful than any witch ever was…"

"What are you talking about?" Elena insisted.

"It's just a theory, of course, I can't be sure of anything at this point. But if I'm right, she's my first."

"Your first what?"

"Well, that's for her to find out, isn't it?"

"What makes you think she's not a witch?"

"The same reason why her species is extinct," he answered. "Her blood."

It wasn't what Mackenzie wanted to hear. Not being human was one thing, being the last of an extinct species was another. How was she supposed to figure out what she was if he weren't going to tell her? If there were no one left who knew? How was she supposed to protect herself?

Elijah could see he had scared her even more than she already was, and he wondered what was going on inside her head. As someone who had been a vampire for so long, he was used to being feared, but he could see she already had enough reasons to be afraid. He was a man of honor who didn't like to be unnecessary cruel, and though he usually didn't mind what people thought of him – especially because they were mostly afraid – he regretted causing her such needless distress. Cutting Trevor's head off in front of her was definitely inconsiderate.

"If you want to know you only need to ask, I suppose," he told her.

Elena watched as Mackenzie stared, speechless, at the Original vampire. The doppelgänger had never seen anyone more confused. Mackenzie didn't know anything anymore. Should she be afraid? Should she be sad? Should she be happy? Should she feel proud of what she was, whatever it was?

Elijah was looking at her like he was mesmerized, like he was looking for something in her eyes, but to Elena, it looked more like he wanted nothing more than to taste her blood. Her blood that smelled so good, it apparently caused the extinction of an entire species.

There was a moment of silence, during which Elena watched the two of them stare at each other. She expected Mackenzie to say something, to ask, to ask about what she was, about who she was, but she didn't. She stayed quiet.

Eventually, Elijah straightened up, put his hands back in his pockets, and took a step back as to not cause any more discomfort to the beautiful young girl.

"Your friend will be free shortly," he said to Elena.

He didn't give them the chance to reply as he immediately reached for the door and vanished.

Mackenzie breathed out as soon as he disappeared. It was like someone had just lifted a weight off her chest. The two girls felt relieved as they were left alone, as if they were finally able to breathe again. Elena quickly made her way towards Mackenzie. She closed the door before she said:

"Are you okay?"

Mackenzie couldn't even nod. She wasn't strong enough to even think about lying. The way Elijah had been with her, the way he looked at her, the way he touched her… it wasn't anything like what she was used to. There was no hatred in his eyes, no contempt in his words, no violence in his actions.

"You should sit down," Elena said, noticing how pale she was. She took her hand and led her to her bed.

"That was…" she tried to speak but failed.

"Yeah," Elena agreed. She had no word either. "But don't worry. Elijah agreed to the deal, he'll protect you. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"What about Klaus?"

"Klaus wants nothing to do with you."

"What if… what if he hears about me, about… my blood? What if vampires are the reason why my species… whatever I am, is extinct?"

"Elijah said he wasn't even sure. You might be a witch. We'll ask Bonnie. Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

"You don't know that," Mackenzie disagreed, looking at her with tears in her eyes. "I don't even know what I am."

"I've only recently found out I'm a doppelgänger. Like you I'm one of a kind. Well, sort of… On the bright side, nobody wants to sacrifice you to break a curse," she tried to joke.

Mackenzie couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sorry… You have more reasons to be afraid than me."

"I'm not afraid."

Mackenzie had noticed that. "Don't you think maybe you should be?"

"I'm not afraid of what'll happen to me. I'm scared Klaus will kill everyone I love…"

"Is that what Elijah was talking about earlier? When he said you tried to get yourself killed?"

"I tried to surrender to Klaus. To escape him, Katherine became a vampire. To get back at her he killed her entire family. I can't risk that."

"I understand that," Mackenzie said after a moment of reflection. "Do you really think you can trust Elijah?"

Elena sighed. "No… But what other choice do I have?"

"I don't know," Mackenzie whispered.

"Are _you_ gonna be okay?"

"I don't know," she repeated. "On the bright side, nobody wants to sacrifice me to break a curse."

Elena chuckled. At least she still had a sense of humor.

"You'll get used to it. It's not gonna be easy, but we'll be here for you. If you need anything, just ask, okay?" the doppelgänger said.

"Thank you," she gave her a weak smile. "I should get some rest."

"Yeah. Be careful out there, drive straight back home."

"I will. I hope Stefan comes back safe."

Elena smiled, thankful, then hugged her.

"I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this."

Mackenzie gave her a small smile. "Me too."

It was even colder outside than when she arrived. She quickly walked to her car, locked herself inside, and grabbed her jacket. She lived on the other side of town. She had to drive downtown then drive through the woods to reach her neighborhood. So many things were happening inside her head, it gave her a headache. She couldn't focus on any of the things that had just happened. She could only see his brown eyes looking right back at her and she wondered if he were just merely curious or if he were planning something else, something that wouldn't be good for her. After all, he was a vampire and he did seem pretty attracted to her blood. She had every reason to be scared of him. And yet, even after days of him haunting her nightmares, she slowly started to change her mind. He had saved Elena's life. He wasn't planning on killing or sacrificing her to break a curse. He just wanted to kill the monster who wanted Elena dead. As she slowly came to the conclusion that Elijah might not be entirely bad after all, she suddenly remembered Trevor and his head flying away from his body.  
Maybe there was no such thing as a good vampire.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice she was out of town. She thought she saw something in the corner of her eye and it made her focus on the dark road of the forest. She saw what appeared to be a large dog emerge from the left side of the woods and she gasped, startled, as she hit the brakes. The car hit the animal and she heard it whimper in pain.

"Oh my God," she breathed out, panicked. She had never had an accident before, never drove over an animal, not even a squirrel, a cat or a small rabbit. She loved animals, and she really hoped the dog was going to be okay.

She quickly got out and rushed towards the front of the car but there was nothing there.

"What the…"

She was half confused, half relieved. She was certain she had hit something, she had felt it and she had heard it, but maybe she hadn't hurt it too badly and it had been able to run off into the woods. She sighed, relieved, and ran a hand through her hair. She turned around to get back inside her car but she jumped away when she saw the animal was right in front of her. And it wasn't a dog.

It growled and she stepped back as it moved forward. Her only chance was to get back inside her car before the wolf caught her. But its unnatural glowing yellow eyes made her think that it wasn't just a normal wolf. It was a full moon, and she had been through enough to know exactly what she had in front of her.

Could things get any worse?

She moved slowly, hoping to get the door of the passenger side. But she had no such luck. The wolf growled louder, like a warning. Mackenzie knew that whatever happened, if she ran into the woods, she would die. Her only option, her only chance, was her car. And it was so close, and yet so far away.

Suddenly, the wolf jumped on the car, giving her plan a zero percent chance of success.

So, she could light candles up in her sleep, hear the wind talk and move things with her mind, but she couldn't defend herself when a werewolf had decided to make her its dinner. What a joke.

Her feet didn't leave the ground as she tried to move back as slowly as possible. She wanted nothing more than to run away but she knew that was the dumbest thing she could do. Not that she had many options left. She felt her feet leave the concrete of the road and reach the wet grass of the forest. She couldn't move her eyes away from the beast. She couldn't tell in the dark, but its fur was either white or light grey. Or maybe both. Who cared? She was about to be ripped to pieces by a werewolf, she didn't care what it looked like.

The wolf barked twice and Mackenzie couldn't stop herself and started running. She entered the dark and scary forest, running as fast as she could, but she wasn't in anyway fast enough. Only half a minute after she entered the woods, she tripped over a root and cried out as she fell on the wet cold leaf-covered ground. She propped herself up on her bleeding elbows and turned around to see the wolf was just a couple of feet away from her. She could practically feel its disgusting breath on her face. She saw it was ready to jump on her, but as it was about to do it the wind became stronger.

The wolf growled at first, but the wind only blew harder. After a few seconds, the wolf's growls turned into whimpers, as if it were scared. It didn't take long for the wolf to get seriously frightened. Angry, but frightened. Its fear was stronger though, as it barked one last time before it ran away. It only took the wind a few seconds to disappear.

Mackenzie took a deep breath and tried to settle down. She was panting and trembling and cold.

She was so done.

She was so tired of being scared all the time.

She was about to get up when she heard something. She thought it was the wolf coming back, but it sounded more like footsteps. She turned her head to the left, where she thought she heard the noises come from. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Mackenzie?"

The vampire's presence in the woods more than surprised her.

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Please, let me know what you think!**


	3. The Good Side of Things

Mackenzie was sitting on the cold and wet leaf-covered ground, looking around, frightened at the idea of the wolf coming back. But the noise she was hearing came from the opposite direction that the beast had taken and it sounded more like footsteps. It didn't make her feel better though. Who could be walking around in the forest at this hour? No one with good intentions, that was for sure.

Mackenzie quickly got up, almost falling again under her weak legs, ready to run back to her car at any moment. The footsteps became closer and she took a step back when she saw a figure coming out of the darkness.

"Mackenzie?"

Her eyes widened when she recognized the vampire, and she breathed out, half-relieved.

"What are you doing here?"

"Caroline! What are _you_ doing here?"

"I, um," she paused. The blonde had been told about Mackenzie and everything she should know – like her incredible smell and the mystery of why she couldn't be compelled. But Caroline had been busy with some business of her own and had no idea what Mackenzie knew and what she shouldn't know. She tried to figure out what she could say, keeping in mind that Damon couldn't know about this otherwise she and Tyler would both be dead. "Promise you won't say anything to anyone," she ordered.

Mackenzie was surprised by the blonde's request. It was the last thing she expected her to say, especially because it seemed that everybody in Mystic Falls knew everything about anything. Except for her, of course.

"Um… sure, okay," she nodded.

"I'm helping Tyler. It's his first full moon."

"Tyler?" Mackenzie repeated as her eyes grew bigger. She felt like nothing could surprise her anymore and yet, she couldn't believe that. "Tyler Lockwood? Tyler's a werewolf? _That_ ," she asked, pointing at the direction the wolf had taken, "That was Tyler?"

"What? No! I mean yes. I mean…" Caroline spluttered. "You were attacked by a werewolf?" she almost shouted.

Mackenzie nodded. She swallowed heavily before she took a deep breath. It was over now, at least. She needed to start seeing the good sides of things or else she would lose her mind.

"No offense but… how are you still alive?" Caroline asked with a suspicious tone.

"Uh… it… it went away," Mackenzie shook her head. She wasn't feeling like telling the truth, especially because she didn't know it herself. And she wasn't about to tell the blonde how the wind saved her life.

Caroline raised her eyebrows and the look on her face told Mackenzie she didn't believe her. "It went away?" she repeated.

"Yes."

Mackenzie was too tired for this. It was too much for a single night. First Elijah, then the wolf, then this? She was too weak for Caroline's interrogation and she had no patience for it, especially because it sounded like she was calling her a liar.

"I'm gonna go home. I've had a long night," Mackenzie mumbled.

Caroline dismissed the entire encounter, considering that she had to go back to Tyler and that Mackenzie's smell was starting to slowly drive her insane.

"Remember not to say anything to anyone!" Caroline reminded her. "And… you're one lucky girl," she said, before she vanished into the dark forest.

Mackenzie disagreed. She didn't feel lucky. Quite the opposite, actually. Not only did she feel the weight from her misfortune, but she also felt guilty and selfish about it because Elena was for sure unluckier than her.

She shivered as she found herself alone once again. She rubbed her arms as she looked around one more time before she walked back to her car.

* * *

Mackenzie fell asleep more easily than she thought she would. She had nightmares all night long but her alarm was the only thing that woke her up. She felt numb. She would have been happy about it if she could have felt anything. Everything had changed but it seemed like everything had stayed the same. She still had to cook breakfast for Robert. Still had to wait for him to leave. Still had to go to school.

Focusing in class was easier than before, perhaps because it allowed her to think about something else for a while. Some people say "When you're afraid of spiders you're more likely to find one in your bedroom". Well, that settled it. Mackenzie wasn't going to let fear paralyze her and take over her life. She had to grow up. She didn't want to be the weak and pathetic little girl who was afraid every time there was a little wind outside anymore. She had powers and she was not only going to learn to accept it but she was going to enjoy it. She chose to take the good sides of things for once. She might not know what she was or what she was capable of but she wasn't going to let it stop her. She could move objects with her mind; _that_ was fun. At least, it was supposed to be.

The good sides of things. One step at a time.

Mackenzie didn't see Elena or Caroline at school and there was no sign of Stefan or Bonnie either. She started to wonder if they ever went to class anymore. But then she realized they were probably busy trying to save Elena's life and they had more important things to do than go to school.

As she walked down the hallways of Mystic High to exit the building, she noticed a pair of eyes watching her. She shivered as it burnt her back which was likely the intention. She turned around and saw someone she had never seen before. He was a young black teenager. He wasn't tall but was still taller than her, he had brown eyes and his head was shaven. He was staring at her with a strange expression she didn't recognize. It looked like anger, hatred… maybe fear? Maybe all of it together. The fire in his eyes made her feel uneasy and she quickly looked away from him before she walked outside. She thought maybe she got it wrong and he wasn't looking at her. After all, she had never met him, what could his problem be?

She walked to her car, opened her door and threw her bag onto the passenger seat. She dropped her keys, sighed, and quickly picked them up but when she looked back up she wasn't alone. She gasped and jumped, startled, as she unconsciously took a step back and banged into the opened door of her car.

"Apologies," the suited vampire said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Elijah," she breathed out.

"Miss Alemaund," he smirked, as if he found it amusing that she was scared of him.

"Wh- what do you want?" she stuttered. "Elena's not here."

"Oh I know. I'm here for you."

Her heart skipped a beat. That was the scariest thing she had ever heard.

"No need to be afraid," he added. "I mean you no harm."

She stared at him like he was crazy, or maybe she was crazy, she didn't really know.

"Fo- for me?" she repeated and he nodded. "Why?"

"Well," he started to say as he unbuttoned his jacket and leaned against the car. "I'm here to make a deal I think could benefit both of us."

He wasn't looking at her. He looked around, not at anything in particular, before his eyes landed back on the small teenager. He could see she was confused. She had nothing to offer him and she wondered what he wanted from her.

"A deal? With me?"

"Yes. You see, you have questions and I have answers. If I help you, I only ask you to help me in return."

"You… you want me to help you? To do what?"

"Save Miss Gilbert's life," he merely replied.

Mackenzie frowned. "You think I can help Elena?"

"I do," he nodded. "Of course, we'll need to make sure of that as soon as possible. Klaus will be here soon, I'm sure."

"I… I," she stuttered, more confused than ever. "I don't understand. You… You said you had a plan to help her."

"I do. But if my suspicions are correct you can help make the plan a little better."

"What do you think I can do for you?"

Elijah took a step forward and Mackenzie would have stepped back if she hadn't been trapped between the Original vampire and her car door. She tried to find some courage and not look away. His eyes found the cut on her lip again and it was still a mystery to her why he was so interested by it.

"Hey, Mack!"

Both Mackenzie and Elijah turned to see Matt Donovan waving at them two cars down. He had a curious and worried look on his face. Elijah took a step back and let Mackenzie handle the situation.

"What's up Matt?" she replied in a voice she wanted steady.

"Everything okay?" he asked, eyeing Elijah.

The vampire chuckled as he looked up at the sky.

"Everything's great," she lied, smiling at the quarterback.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, thanks," she said, waving goodbye.

He wasn't convinced but what else could he do? He smiled back before he got into his car and drove away.

"Where were we?" Elijah asked.

"What do you want from me?"

"Ah, right," he sighed as he looked back up at the sky one more time, putting his hands in his pockets. "First I need you to come with me. I'll introduce you to… 'friends' of mine who will be able to confirm who you are."

"Who… who I am?"

"What you are, if you prefer."

"What am I?"

"Come with me and you'll find out."

Mackenzie stared at him, hesitant. He could see she was tempted. But she wasn't a fool. She knew she couldn't and shouldn't trust him. But she also knew he wasn't lying because he was right; he needed her and she needed him.

"You can help me control my powers?" she asked, remembering the trashcan accident.

"I can," he nodded. "I can teach you everything you need to know. You're a very powerful creature, Mackenzie. You can be strong. You can help Elena."

That was everything she wanted. To be strong and fearless, to be able to protect herself and others instead of being a victim. It sounded too good to be true. He wasn't a guardian angel. She didn't have one. She knew he wanted something from her and he was probably not going to take no for an answer, but at least she could get something out of it. She needed to take a chance, to take the good sides of things. He was offering her help, and she had to take it. But there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity and she hoped she was being brave and not stupid.

"Okay," she agreed. "But I have conditions."

She stared back nervously at Elijah who was obviously surprised. He didn't expect her to negotiate, though he didn't mind it.

"I'm listening."

"You can't lie to me. I need to be able to trust you."

Elijah nodded. "Okay."

"And you have to answer all of my questions," she continued. "All of them."

Elijah frowned. Clearly, he had a problem with that. "Then I have conditions too," he said. "Whatever I say to you, you can't repeat to anyone. Not even Elena."

"Why not? You made a deal with her, you're not supposed to hide anything from her."

"I'm not," he said. "Some of the answers you're seeking have nothing to do with her. And it's for your own protection as well. You can't let anyone know what you are, Mackenzie. It wouldn't be safe."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you everything, as promised. I'm a man of my word."

"Am I in danger?"

"Not at the moment."

He could see he was scaring her. She wasn't a particularly courageous person but that wasn't abnormal. After all, this was an abnormal situation and her life was getting more and more complicated each day. Elijah stepped forward. He slowly moved closer. She stared at him with scared eyes as if she were waiting for him to hurt her.

"Don't be scared," he said.

She got lost in his gaze, completely hypnotized by him. He was so confusing. He was supposed to be a murderous scary immortal vampire and yet, she didn't feel threatened. He wasn't hurting her. He didn't seem like he wanted to. He was looking at her as if there were something there only he could see. As if she was a fragile porcelain doll ready to break at any minute and he didn't want that to happen. The complete opposite to the looks she was used to getting from Robert. He wanted her to break, and he wanted to be the one to break her.

"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked in a brittle voice.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because…" she said, "you're the bad guy."

Elijah chuckled but she could see he was a little hurt by her assumption.

"I've been alive for a very long time. It's more complicated than that. But I don't blame you for thinking that way. After all, we did meet under terrible circumstances. First impressions are crucial."

She looked down, ashamed of herself, though she really shouldn't be. Elijah finally stepped back.

"Come on. I'll drive."

Mackenzie shook her head. She grabbed his sleeve and made him look at her.

"Tell me what I am," she demanded.

He sighed. He hesitated but he could see she wasn't going to let it go. It was the most important question of her life, and she deserved to know. He looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention or that no one was close enough to hear before he looked back down at the impatient girl whose hope was shining in her hazel eyes. That's when he realized she didn't have anyone. He shouldn't be the one telling her. Her parents should be. Someone close to her, someone she trusted, someone she knew. It wasn't fair for her to hear it from the mouth of someone she was terrified of, someone she considered a monster. He was going to have to make it up to her.

"You're an elemental, Mackenzie."


	4. Creature of the Past

The parking lot was empty. All the students had gone. There were only a few cars left from teachers still working inside the building but still, the parking lot was silent. Mackenzie and Elijah hadn't moved or spoken. She didn't ask him to repeat what he had just said, though she thought she had misheard him.

Every day was a new day, with new information and new threats. New unanswered questions. New fears. New reasons to stay hidden inside the house.

The silent wind was blowing Mackenzie's long brown hair as she stared at the vampire standing in front of her. The words he had just spoken were echoing inside of her head as if she were trying to solve a riddle. _"You're an elemental, Mackenzie,"_ he said, as if it meant anything to her. As if she knew, as if she was supposed to know.

"Wh- what?" is all she managed to say after a long moment of silence.

"An elemental. A supernatural creature with the ability to control one or several elements."

She hadn't misheard, and how could she not believe him? It explained the wind and the fires. Apparently, it also explained why she couldn't be compelled and why she smelled the way she did.

"Ho- how do you know? Are you sure?"

Elijah smiled as he took a step forward. Mackenzie straightened up, remembering she was trapped between him and the car door. She saw his eyes move to her neck and his hand approach her face. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder and his gaze found her vein.

"I'm quite sure," he said as his fingertips grazed the blue line of her neck. "Though, I was told you'd smell better. No offense."

"No- none taken…"

"I didn't meet many people who had the privilege to come across an elemental but they all told me the same thing. Your fragrance, your blood... drove them crazy."

"Then, ma- maybe I'm not an elemental," she stuttered in a frightened whisper.

Elijah slightly shook his head.

"Come on," he said as he gestured her to get in the car. "My 'friends' will confirm it."

"Your friends? How?"

"They're witches," he said, but then made a face and decided to correct himself, "warlocks."

The knot in Mackenzie's stomach became more painful. She wanted to be brave and play with the adults but she started to regret her decision. Following an Original vampire to see witches? That didn't seem brave, that sounded stupid.

"Don't worry," he told her when he saw her worried face. "I made a deal with Elena to keep her friends safe."

"I'm not her friend," Mackenzie corrected him in a whisper, though she had no doubt Elena would help her if she could.

"Is that so?" he asked, seeming curious. "Then how can I convince you that I'll keep you safe?"

Mackenzie didn't know what to tell him, because she didn't know the answer. Maybe if he could go back in time and not kill Trevor in front of her the way he did, maybe she wouldn't be so afraid of him. But what else could she do now except trust his word?

" _I'm a man of my word. I make a deal, I keep a deal."_

"You can promise me," she whispered so low as if she didn't want to say it, as if she knew it was idiotic.

She could see he was surprised. He too thought it strange she would trust his word.

"I promise never to harm you in anyway."

She looked him in his brown eyes, trying to see something, anything she should be afraid of, something evil, but she couldn't. Sincerity and sympathy was all she found.

"Never?" she repeated in a whisper. "What if I say no? What if I ask you to leave me alone?"

"Then I'll leave you alone."

Mackenzie was surprised, both by his answer and by the fact that he didn't try to convince her to not refuse the deal. He didn't look angry or annoyed or impatient. If she had done that with Robert she would already be bleeding and crying on the kitchen floor. She was testing him, trying to figure out if she could trust him, if he was as bad as she thought.

"Really?"

"You don't need to be involved in this. It has nothing to do with you, and it's dangerous, if you don't want to help me, I can't make you."

"You could make me…"

"I could," he nodded, "but I won't."

Mackenzie was confused. She didn't understand why he was being like this. Why he was being nice. But then, she remembered she didn't know him, she remembered he saved Elena's life, she remembered the deal he made with her and the part he was going to play in her survival. She remembered he just wanted to help her, that he was willing to answer all of her questions, even things she shouldn't know, things Elena didn't know, and she started to wonder if she was being stupid for thinking she could actually trust him because it appeared that he trusted her.

"What do you want from me?"

Elijah frowned. He hesitated. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell her. He looked away as he put his hands in his pockets.

"I have a plan to take down Klaus. If my suspicions are correct I think you're powerful enough to help me."

"What suspicions? Help you do what?"

"When I heard your last name for the first time I thought it sounded familiar. My 'friends', they recognized it. They know stories about your family. Most witches do."

"My… my family?"

"Yes. The Alemaunds and the Fays. Powerful families. Both thought to have been gone."

There she had it. Confirmation. Her mother did know. Of course, Mackenzie wasn't a stupid girl, she knew if she weren't human, at least one of her parents wasn't either. But it was one thing to think it and another to hear it. She took a deep breath as she wiped the tear that had made its way onto her cheek.

"What do you know about my family?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"I think you should hear it from Jonas. He knows what's true and what isn't. I only know what I heard and I'm afraid I can't really trust the sources. I wouldn't want to mislead you."

She nodded as she sniffed. "Fine, let's go."

Elijah watched as she made her way to the other side of the car, leaving him her keys.

It was going to be another hard day for Mackenzie.

Many questions went through Mackenzie's head during the silent drive. A wave of sadness had taken over her after she heard her mother had kept the truth from her. It didn't feel right to be angry at her parents, they weren't there to explain themselves, it made her feel guilty. But she couldn't help but wonder why. What was so horrible about being an elemental it prevented her mother from ever saying anything?

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked, startling her.

She hadn't noticed the car had stopped. They were near the park, next to the Mystic Grill. She nodded to answer. She flinched when she saw his hand come near her face. She watched, wary, as he cupped her cheek. She was confused for a quick second but then he wiped her tears away with his thumb and she realized she had been crying. She looked away quickly and dried her cheeks as she cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No apologies necessary," he replied before he exited the car.

She tried to pull herself together, made sure there were no more tears on her face, and took a deep breath. As she was about to open the door, it opened itself. Elijah was standing there, holding his hand out to her. She smiled politely at him as she took it. Elijah was a gentleman, and not just because of the suit.

"I have to tell you something before we enter," he said, eyeing the apartment building.

"What?" she quickly asked with a panicked look on her face.

"Witches and elementals were never friends. Don't be surprised if they're rude or… cold. They need you as much as I do, but they won't like you."

What was she supposed to say to that? How was she supposed to feel about that? She couldn't help but think back to her mother's stories about fairies and witches and if it was as bad as she said. "Cold" wasn't exactly how Elijah's friends were going to be. Every new thing she learned made her feel more and more exhausted and she suddenly had the desire to crawl inside her bed and sleep forever.

She followed him inside the building. They climbed the stairs in silence. He could see she was tense. She gulped when he knocked on the door. A black man in his forties answered. He looked familiar to Mackenzie though she knew she had never met him. The way he looked at her made her shiver. It was worse than any look Robert ever gave her, it was worse than hatred, worse than disgust. She had never seen that look before. It terrified her. She unconsciously moved closer to Elijah who noticed and placed his hand on her lower back for support.

"Jonas."

"Elijah," the warlock growled.

"This is Mackenzie. She's going to help us get your daughter back."

Mackenzie looked up at the vampire with a surprised look on her face. She thought that information, or that reminder, would make the warlock less hostile towards her, but it didn't.

"Let's get on with it," Jonas said before he stepped on the side to let them enter.

Elijah gestured the elemental to enter first and she quickly stepped inside, looking away from Jonas. She could feel the burning gaze of the warlock on her.

The room was brown, cold and somber. There were books everywhere. The kitchen was on the left and the living room was on the right, Mackenzie guessed it was the living room even though there was no television because of the couch that was hidden under all the books.

"Dad?"

When Mackenzie looked up, she understood why Jonas looked familiar. He was the father of the teenager she saw in the hallway of Mystic High earlier that day.

"Luka this is Mackenzie," Jonas said her name as if she were the worst person who had ever lived.

Luka looked the elemental up and down and she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. She looked up at Elijah who nodded at her, silently telling her everything was going to be okay.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Luka asked his father. "She's an elemental."

"Yes," Jonas replied as if it weren't good news. "But there's something wrong with her," he told Elijah.

They were acting as if she weren't in the room.

"What do you mean?" the vampire asked.

"She doesn't appear to be an elemental."

"Then how can you be sure she is?"

"The same way you can tell a werewolf is a werewolf even in their human form."

"So, what's wrong with her?" the Original asked.

"I'm not sure," Jonas said. "Come on."

The warlock gestured the elemental to join him and sit at the wooden round table in the kitchen. She looked up at Elijah, hesitant, who nodded again. She slowly made her way to the table and sat in front of Jonas.

"Give me your hands."

She slowly did as he asked. He seized her trembling hands with a painful strength then closed his eyes. She shivered at his touch. She felt a weird sensation run through her body. She watched as he did whatever it was he was doing. After a few seconds he let go of her and looked up at Elijah.

"There's a spell," he said. "It's stopping her from using her powers."

Somehow Mackenzie wasn't surprised. It explained why she never had accidents like setting pieces of paper on fire before. But it raised another question, who cast that spell and why?

"It's powerful," he continued. "The kind of spell only the witch who cast it can undo."

"So you can't help her?" Elijah asked.

"I can," Jonas sighed. "It's vulnerable now that the witch is dead. It appears that his or her spirit has been trying to break it too."

"Are you sure a witch cast the spell? Could it be her parents?"

"Normally I'd say no. But with an Alemaund you never know," he grumbled.

Mackenzie's head was spinning. Did they just say her parents cast the spell and their _spirits_ were trying to undo it? Did he just say her parents were different from other elementals?

"Can you tell what magic she possesses?" Elijah asked.

"Elementals don't possess magic," Jonas growled as if Elijah had just insulted him. "And no. The spell is warding her."

"What do you call their powers if not magic?" the vampire wondered ironically.

"Witches possess magic. Elementals are… different," he spat.

"Right," Elijah scoffed. "Can you undo the spell now? Or do you need a full moon or some other ingredients impossible to find?"

"I can do it now," Jonas said as he rolled his eyes. "It'll hurt," he told Mackenzie, not because he was concerned, but because it gave him pleasure.

Mackenzie looked up at Elijah and gave him a scared look, but there was nothing he could do. She was panicking. What if she didn't want the spell to be undone? What if she wanted the spell to be reinforced? She removed her hands from Jonas' and quickly stood up.

"I don't think I can do this," she breathed out. "Maybe the spell is there for a reason. Maybe I shouldn't… Maybe I should stay human."

"You're not human," Luka said. "You're an elemental. You were born an elemental and you always will be."

"I never… I never had powers before! It all started last week! I… I… I don't know anything about being an elemental, I don't know… I can't… I can't do this…"

"Yes, you can," Elijah said. He stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him. "I wasn't born a vampire. I'm an abomination of nature. And if I and every other vampire in the world can do it, then you can too, because you were born an elemental. It's who you are. It's who you're supposed to be."

"But I…" she started to say with a trembling voice, "I'm not strong like you. I'm not brave like Elena."

"I've had a thousand years to get strong. And Elena, she's been through a lot too."

"But she had help," she cried. "She had… She had Stefan and Bonnie. I'm alone!"

What could Elijah reply to that? She was right. She was indeed alone. And knowing that only Jonas and Luka could help her wasn't reassuring.

"I know it's scary. But it's who you are and there's nothing you can do about it. You don't have to be afraid. Being an elemental isn't a bad thing."

"What if I don't want to be an elemental?"

"You don't exactly have a choice," Luka mumbled.

"You'll be fine," Elijah told her, even though he knew she wasn't going to be. Vampires, werewolves and witches were her enemies, she will never be safe. "You're an elemental. You're one of the most powerful creatures on this planet. You'll be okay."

Mackenzie looked down and wiped the tears off of her face as she sniffed and sobbed. She didn't want to be one of the most powerful creatures on the planet. She wanted… she wanted… what did she want? What even was she? Just a scared little girl who had no idea what she wanted out of life and whose stepfather was using as a punching bag. She was a pathetic little human who had no purpose. But she didn't have to be. She didn't have to be normal. Who would want that? Normal sucked. Normal hurt. She had a choice to make. Was she going to stay in the cupboard under the stairs or was she going to do what the tall man asked? What a lame story it would be if she told that tall man "no".

"Okay," she nodded.

"Okay," he repeated.

"Are we doing this or what?" Luka asked, more annoyed than impatient.

Mackenzie sat back down at the table and gave her hands to Jonas. She hadn't noticed the candles all over the place but she jumped when they all lit up suddenly. She shivered when she felt the same weird sensation as before run through her body again. But that sensation changed, it became stronger, hotter, almost painful. She watched, scared and worried, as Jonas closed his eyes and focused. She could feel the tension in the room, something had changed. Maybe it was the air, maybe it became drier. She started to hear Jonas make incomprehensible mumbles. She winced as she felt what seemed to be electricity run through her veins. It was bearable at first, but it quickly became more painful. She gasped when her feet suddenly felt extremely cold. The ice moved up to her legs and seized her entire body. She cried out when the ice turned to flames. A strong wind appeared inside the room and with it came loud voices only Mackenzie could hear. She felt hot and cold at the same time. The tap suddenly turn itself on and water started to fall into the kitchen sink. She could feel everything. She could feel the water in the sink, the plant at the other side of the room, the natural heat of the warlocks' body, the cold of Elijah's, the electricity in the walls and in the air, she could feel the magic, the powerful magic Jonas was using, Luka's own magic and even the magic that had kept and that was keeping Elijah alive and, above all, her own magic. It was so loud in the room, she didn't realize right away the screams she was hearing were hers. It hurt so much she couldn't tell if she felt none of it or all of it.

Elijah watched carefully as the elemental was crying out of pain. He wondered how long it was going to last. Not much longer, he hoped, for her sake. The candles were burning hotter in the room and it looked like the tap was about to explode. The windows were shaking dangerously too under the strong wind. But there was one thing he could sense that the others couldn't. It was a smell. A delicious, appealing, delectable, appetizing smell. An irresistible smell. And it was coming from her. And it drove him crazy.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked in a threatening tone as Mackenzie's screams were becoming louder.

"It's almost done," Jonas managed to reply, out of breath.

Tears were falling on Mackenzie's cheeks as the pain only grew unbearable. The wind knocked over vases, moved books, broke windows. The sink was overflowing with water. The candles were burning out. And then, suddenly, it all stopped.

Everything froze. As if there were no air left. No sound. Nothing. Jonas and Mackenzie weren't moving, her hands still in his. His eyes were still closed, as if he had gone somewhere and hadn't made it back yet. Suddenly, after a few seconds of emptiness, the warlock jumped from his chair and stepped back until his back bumped against the fridge.

"What is it?" Elijah asked.

Mackenzie suddenly gasped her way back to consciousness. She fell off her chair and found herself on her hands and knees, panting on the wooden floor.

"She's… she's an ultimate," Jonas breathed out as Elijah made his way to the elemental.

"What does that mean?" the vampire asked.

When Mackenzie felt his hands on her she pushed him away. She was panicked, confused and lost, she wanted to scream but she couldn't do anything else but cry. Elijah took her by the wrists and pulled her towards him. She wasn't capable of resisting because she had no idea what was happening. He sat on the floor and brought her to his chest. He couldn't help but feel guilty as her cries filled the room.

"Dad, what's an ultimate?" Luka asked. He was as clueless as the Original vampire.

"An abomination, a thief!" he yelled. "That's what she is, just like her ancestors were!"

"Calm down, Jonas," Elijah commanded. "The spell, it concealed her smell, it protected her from vampires and werewolves. Is there a way to hide it again, maybe with another spell?"

"An elemental's blood is powerful, nothing you can do about it," Jonas replied.

"There has to be a way. I'm sure all the vampires in this town can already smell her from here," he exaggerated.

"It doesn't look like it's bothering you too much."

"Well, it is. Find a solution," he ordered. "Now." There was no distress in his voice, no anger either. He sounded calm, he appeared calm, but on the inside, it was a hard battle to fight.

Jonas grumbled something and rolled his eyes. He gestured his son to help him and they started to look for a particular book. Elijah stood up with Mackenzie in his arms and made his way to the couch where he laid her down. He squatted in front of her and brushed her hair away from her wet cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

She didn't answer. She looked away as she brought her knees to her chest. She had no answer to give him. She had no idea how she was feeling because she was feeling everything. She could still hear the voices in her head but she couldn't comprehend them. Nothing made sense.

She fell asleep on the couch, exhausted both mentally and physically. She slept for over an hour during which Jonas and Luka looked unsuccessfully for a way to conceal her smell.

"Is it really that bad?" Luka asked.

"Yes," he sighed. "Keep looking."

"She's waking up," Jonas said.

The Original vampire made his way back to the couch and sat in the armchair near the elemental. It was one of the hardest thing he had ever done. It was hard for him to think about anything else, to feel anything else than the thirst. Mackenzie slowly sat up, devastated to find herself back in that apartment, she had hoped it had only been a very painful nightmare.

"How are you feeling?" Elijah asked again, hoping to get an answer this time.

"I… I don't know…" she answered as she put her feet on the floor. She tried to get up but her legs were too weak. "What… happened?"

"The spell was concealing your true nature and stopping you from using your powers. It's not the case anymore," Jonas replied.

"So… that's why I… I never knew, never… felt that way before?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "And how exactly are you feeling?"

"I… I don't know how to explain."

She could feel everything that was around her. The electricity in the air, the air itself, the water in the warlocks' mortal bodies, in the pipes in the walls, in the still wet sink… She could feel the magic of it all, as if she could touch it. She felt different. She felt as if she had woken up in a different body than hers.

"So, what's an ultimate?" Elijah asked for what he hoped was the last time.

Mackenzie looked up at Jonas, unsurprised this time by the horrible look he gave her. He sat on the other armchair across Elijah, at Mackenzie's right.

"As you know, witches and elementals have always been enemies."

"Why?" she asked, cutting Jonas off.

"Because we're servants of nature," he snarled at her. "And you…"

"Witches have always been jealous of your powers," Elijah cut him off.

"That's not…" Jonas started to say but Elijah gave him a look and he stopped.

"Humans worshipped elementals," Elijah explained. "They gave you names like mermaid, fairy, elf, angel… But witches were feared and persecuted, that's why they came after your kind. Witches are the reason why elementals are extinct."

"We were just defending ourselves," Jonas grumbled.

" _We_ weren't there, dad."

"Elementals went into hiding," Elijah continued. "When I was born, your kind was already gone."

"Apparently not," Jonas disagreed.

"So, what's an ultimate?" Luka asked.

"There used to be five main families of elementals. The Alemaunds, the Dallimores, the Fays, the Hayes and the Engelbrechts. The Alemaunds were the leaders of all elementals. Avery Alemaund was a mad man. In an attempt to save his kind, he… experimented. His goal was to create the perfect elemental."

"Someone who would control all four elements," Elijah said.

"No. He believed there were eight elements, including ice, electricity, light and darkness. He took the most powerful witches of his time hostage and forced them to give his children all eight elements. Of course they couldn't, because they didn't exist."

"I was told they did exist," Elijah said. "I was told Avery managed to create such a creature."

"They didn't exist. Never had an elemental controlled ice or electricity. Those powers were… legends, stories, nobody believed they existed. Nobody except Avery. But the witches knew if they didn't give him what he wanted, he would kill them and their family. So they made a new kind of elementals. Ultimates. With the ability to control all eight elements. But there was a trap."

"What trap?" Mackenzie asked. She was on the edge of her seat.

"They had no idea how to create the elements of light and darkness, they didn't know what Avery imagined them to be. So, they made witchcraft the element of light. Giving Avery's children the powers of a witch."

"So… ultimates are… elementals _and_ witches?"

Jonas sighed, obviously unhappy with her conclusion. "You could say that…"

"What did they do for the element of darkness?" Elijah asked.

"Nobody really knows," Jonas answered. "What we do know, though, is that Avery's children went mad, just like their father. Supposedly, that was the end of the Alemaunds. Supposedly, the element of darkness killed them."

"I'm gonna die?" Mackenzie asked in a trembling voice.

Maybe that was the reason why her mother never said anything. Maybe that was the reason for the spell. Because who she was was going to kill her.

"No," Elijah quickly told her. "You're here, it means Avery's children, or at least one of them, survived. So did their children and their children. These are old stories, they can't be a hundred percent accurate."

"That's true," Jonas nodded. "But what do you think the element of darkness is? It doesn't sound like anything good to me."

"It's also possible it doesn't exist," Elijah said. "I was told the only thing the witches did was give Avery's children the gift of witchcraft. Nothing about ice or light or darkness."

"Ask her," Jonas said, tilting his head towards Mackenzie. "If I felt it, she felt it too."

"He's right," Mackenzie said as she looked up at the vampire. "I can feel it… the cold… the electricity… I…" she paused and shook her head as she looked down at the floor. She couldn't explain it. "I don't know about light or darkness though…" she finished. How could she even tell?

Elijah nodded.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She could see he was uncomfortable, almost in pain, and she didn't understand why.

"There's another thing we need to talk about," he said.

"What you want from me," she nodded.

"Before that. Remember earlier, when I said I was told elementals smelled… better than you did?"

"Yeah…?" she said with a small voice, expecting the worse.

"Well, the spell was concealing it. Now, it… it's stronger."

"Wha- what do you mean?" she asked, even though she knew exactly what he meant.

"I mean, your smell is 'better' now. More…"

"What he's trying to say is he wants to eat you," Luka cut him off and received a threatening look from the Original vampire.

"What I'm trying to say is we have to find a way for you to… not smell like that."

She understood now why he looked so uncomfortable. He was trying to resist the appeal of her blood. He tried his best not to show it, but it was extremely difficult.

"Can we do that?" she asked. She hoped it was possible, or else she wasn't going to live a very long life in Mystic Falls.

"We don't know yet," Elijah told her. Fear once again seized the teenager. "But we're looking," he continued.

"This was a bad idea," she breathed out as she brought a hand to her face.

"You'll be fine," Elijah said, though he didn't believe it himself.

"So, what exactly do you want from me?" she finally asked. She felt like she deserved to know why she had been through all of this.

"Ah," he said as if he had been waiting for that moment. "As I said, I had my suspicions about what you were capable of. I was told that the Alemaunds were stronger than usual elementals and witches. Apparently I was right. You see, I have a plan to take down Klaus. During the sacrifice, there will be a brief moment during which he will be vulnerable enough to allow me to kill him. But I need you to weaken him first."

" _During_ the sacrifice? You mean… the sacrifice needs to happen?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"But… Elena! You said…"

"Elena will be safe," he assured her.

She gave him a suspicious look. That sounded to her like Elena was going to die and that wasn't what he had promised. He told her she was going to be able to help her, to save her life, not to let her get sacrificed.

"I promise," he insisted but it didn't convince her. "As long as Klaus is alive, Elena will never be safe."

Mackenzie took a deep breath. She was too tired to think straight. All she had just heard was crazy and unbelievable and yet, it was the truth. She wanted this day to be over already. She wanted to go home and sleep for the rest of the week.

"How am I going to… How am I supposed to help you? I don't know how to use my powers."

"Jonas and Luka will teach you."

Mackenzie was surprised that they would agree to that. But then, she remembered they were just like her. They had something to get out of this.

"Or we could just do it ourselves," Jonas said. "We told you there was no need to bring her into this. We're powerful enough to take down Klaus."

"You told me you weren't sure. She's more powerful than you."

"She has no idea what she's doing! I can't guarantee she'll be ready in time. In fact, I can guarantee she won't be. It's my daughter's life we're talking about here, Elijah. Let me do this!"

"You told me an elemental could do it," Elijah reminded him.

"Yes, an elemental. A real one, who's been practicing their entire life, not a… a scared little girl who's got no idea what she can do or how to do it! Trust me, you'd have more chance of success with the Bennett girl than with her."

Elijah sighed. He hated wasting his time.

"Klaus isn't here yet, and the next full moon is in a month. That gives us at least one month to get her ready. You'll teach her whatever you can, Jonas," Elijah ordered. "When Klaus arrives, we'll decide then what to do and who does it."

Like Mackenzie, Jonas had no choice. She wasn't comfortable with the idea of having Elena's life and Jonas' daughter's in her small and weak hands. But she actually looked forward to figure out what she was capable of, even if her teacher hated her.

"You'll start tomorrow," Elijah told them. "And you'll keep looking for a way to conceal her smell too."

Mackenzie wondered how bad it was. Was every vampire in town waiting for her outside the building to drink her dry? Was it safe to even leave? Were werewolves dangerous even without a full moon? She wondered how she let it happen. How was it possible that she was in more danger at that moment than she was when she woke up that morning?

She knew the answer; she played the game wrong, and she had been stupid instead of brave.

Elijah insisted on driving her home. He couldn't take the risk of her getting hurt, she supposed. The sun was setting and turned the sky orange. Mackenzie could feel it all. The power of the coming night, the power of the twilight, the magic in the wind, she could feel the power of the clouds above her, of the trees around her, of the water in the ground. It should be overwhelming, but it wasn't. The lack of pain surprised her. It was calm. The power was slowly running in her veins like waves in a tranquil sea. It was almost soothing.

The drive was silent. Even though Mackenzie still had a billion questions, she didn't feel like getting more answers just yet. She had to take in all the information she had just been given first.

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked and startled her as he spoke up.

She was lost in her thoughts and hadn't noticed she was in front of her house.

"Sorry," she whispered. "It's been a long day." _Another one._

"Yes. I'm afraid it won't get any better, unfortunately."

She nodded. "I know…" Every vampire and werewolf in town were coming after her, she wasn't going to be safe until they found a way to conceal the smell of her blood.

They exited the car and Elijah walked with her to the front door.

"Maybe I should let Jonas and Luka… 'take care' of Klaus. They know what they're doing."

"This is my only shot at killing him. I won't have any other opportunity, ever. If you're more powerful than Jonas and Luka, then you have to do it."

"But… I don't know how."

"They'll teach you how."

"I… you look certain I can do this…"

"Are you doubting your powers? Or are you having second thoughts about killing someone?"

"I…" she paused. Of course he wouldn't have second thoughts about killing someone, but Mackenzie did have a problem with it. "Both…"

"Think of it this way. You're the most powerful creature I've ever met, which means you're stronger than Klaus. And Klaus has killed countless of innocent people in a thousand years. Elena will never be safe as long as he's alive."

"Killing is wrong."

"It is," he nodded. "But this is the right thing to do."

Mackenzie didn't reply.

"You disagree."

"I want to help Elena. And I will, if I can…"

"But?"

"But this isn't who I am," she said in a broken whisper. "I'm not… strong."

"Ah," he said, as if he understood something she didn't. "Well, who says you can't be?"

He had a point. She was her only limit. She had been hearing all day long she was the strongest person that had ever lived, she was even stronger than him.

"Are you going to kill me once Klaus is dead?" she asked and the lack of fear in her voice surprised both of them.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, obviously confused.

"Because if I can kill Klaus, then I can kill you."

Elijah chuckled. "True. But I don't think you will."

"Why not?"

"Because killing is wrong, remember?"

"Trevor wasn't a danger to you and you killed him anyway."

"Trevor betrayed me."

"So he had it coming?"

"Yes."

She shook her head and looked away.

"We disagree on a few things," he said. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to kill you. Besides, I promised I would never harm you," he reminded her. He took her chin between his fingers and made her look up at him. "But I understand why you wouldn't trust me."

Once again, she got lost in his eyes. She wondered how hard it was for him at that moment to resist her blood. If it was as hard as he said, she couldn't see it. She couldn't look away. As soon as she'll step inside the house she would have to face Robert and his look filled with hatred and disgust.

"I'll leave you now," he said. "Good evening, Miss Alemaund."

"Goodbye, Elijah."

She watched as he walked away and disappeared in a second. She didn't enter the house right away. She was in no hurry to. She could already hear Robert yelling, asking her where she was and not liking the answer. She would rather stay outside, where she could feel the magic in the air. The unfamiliar sensation made her feel safe. But she knew she couldn't stay there, where any vampire could find her. The longer she made Robert wait, the worst it would be. She took a deep breath as she placed her hand on the handle and gulped as she opened the door.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! Next chapter will be posted in January! Happy holidays everyone!**


	5. Lonely Creature

**Warnings:** this chapter contains mentions of physical abuse, injuries and blood.

* * *

Mackenzie was lying in her bed, painfully crying in her pillows, trying to keep quiet. Everything hurt. It was hard to breathe. She could barely keep her face buried in the pillows now stained with blood, but she knew she couldn't make any noise, she couldn't take the risk to wake him up. The pain in her arm was so awful she was afraid to move. It was broken, she was certain, the noise she heard when Robert twisted it still sent shivers down her spine.

How ironic was it? She was (supposedly) the most powerful creature on the planet but she was still incapable of defending herself. And if she couldn't defend herself against a drunk human, she didn't stand a chance against a vampire. It wasn't ironic, it was just stupid.

Incapable of sleeping, Mackenzie couldn't help but replay the fight in her head. She flinched and winced every time she pictured his fists approaching her face, every time she heard him yell, blaming her for his bad day, his inexistent love life, his stupid bosses… It wasn't a first for Mackenzie and she had been through worse. But something was different that night. When he started yelling and she knew it was going to end badly, the lights started to flicker. She knew she was tampering with the electricity of the house, she could feel it even though she couldn't control it. When he punched her the first time, the lights went out for a few seconds. It didn't stop him. He was either too drunk or to eager to take his anger out on her to notice. When she ended up on her hands and knees, blood and tears dripping from her face, it went dark for over a minute during which he blindly started to kick her, hitting her stomach and chest several times. At this point, the house started to shake. Again, he didn't notice, but she could feel it despite the enormous amount of pain she was in. When the lights came back, he seized her by her left arm, forced her to get back up and broke her forearm. She screamed in agony as he contorted her arm and as the pain only grew unbearable by the second the bottles of beer scattered around the kitchen burst out. He let go of her then, as the loud noise of the many pieces of glass suddenly caught his attention. He was too drunk to even try and make sense of it. But at least he wasn't angry anymore, he was just confused and tired. "Clean this up," he growled, before he stepped into the living room and slumped on the couch. She quickly, and painfully, did as he asked, trying to be as silent as possible. She almost passed out in the stairs on her way to her bedroom. It wasn't often bad like that, but every other month Robert had a crappy day at work, there wasn't enough beer in the fridge – or there was too much – dinner wasn't ready or wasn't to his taste, or Mackenzie dared answer his question or dared keep quiet and all of it combined turned him mad and turned her face into mush.

It hurt even in her sleep. She wasn't really sleeping but she wasn't awake either. She would be even more tired when she woke up the next morning. But even in her half-sleeping state, Mackenzie could dream. Those were usually the worst dreams. The ones in which she knew she was dreaming but there was nothing she could do about it, even if there weren't scary dreams. But this night, it was more than that. It didn't feel like a dream. It was something else, something new, something that felt somewhat even more uncomfortable. The settings of the "dream" felt familiar but Mackenzie didn't recognize them.

 _It was a big white living room. The walls were white, so was the wooden floor covered by a clear blue carpet on which were scattered toys. The white French window on the right was open and the large windows on its sides allowed the sunlight to shine in the room. There was a woman standing there. Mackenzie recognized her, of course. She was a short young woman in her thirties. She had beautiful blonde hair, amazing blue eyes and a bright smile on her face. She had her back turned to the white and clean fireplace and she bent over to pick up a book from the square coffee table. It looked really old and heavy, a little like the books that were scattered around Jonas and Luka's apartment._

" _Mackie! Come here, honey!" Aella called._

 _Mackenzie saw a young version of herself running around the house with a doll in her hand. The Barbie had long blonde hair and a pair of pink wings matching her short green dress. It looked new, and the four-year-old was fond of her new toy. The house was big. Too big for a single mother with her only child and certainly too big for an unemployed woman._

" _Finish the story, mommy!" the little girl begged, holding out her arms._

 _Aella picked up her daughter and sat on the white couch near the window. She settled between the clear blue pillows as she placed her child on her lap._

" _Where were we?" she asked._

" _The mermaids were playing with the men and they fell off the boat!"_

" _No, honey, the sirens did."_

" _What's the difference, mommy?"_

" _I told you the difference, honey. Remember? What's the difference between a mermaid and a siren?"_

" _I don't know," Mackenzie pouted, suddenly bored, deciding to focus on her doll._

 _The sunlight slowly disappeared and the room started to fade away, gradually vanishing into complete darkness._

" _What's the difference, Mackenzie? What's the difference between a mermaid and a siren? Remember Mackenzie. It's important you remember!"_

The "dream" ended there but Mackenzie didn't wake up. The question was echoing endlessly in her tired mind, unanswered.

She hadn't bothered to set up an alarm as she was in no hurry to make breakfast for Robert with her broken arm. She would have to look for her old splint, she had no intention of going to the hospital, that would do more harm than good. At least, that was what she told herself. She woke up when she heard him enter the bathroom. She wasn't feeling like getting out of bed. She wasn't going to go to school anyway, not in her current state. It was extremely hard to apply makeup with only one hand and she doubted she could even hide her broken face, it was swollen, she could feel the pain. She was going to stay in bed for a few days. With a little luck she'll starve to death, she hoped, and for a second, she meant it.

She listened as he took a shower, then walked down the stairs then had breakfast. She wondered if he was mad he had to do it himself, she wondered if he had any idea how badly she was hurt, if he even remembered what he did, if he even realized it. She flinched, then winced, when he slammed the door and made the house shake. She listened as he got into his car and drove away.

Silence could be a blessing, but it could also be a curse. At that moment, Mackenzie didn't know how to feel about the silence. About the loneliness. Sometimes, she liked it. She didn't have to explain to anyone why she didn't show up to school because nobody cared. But sometimes, it was bad. She wished she had someone, anyone, to talk to, to help her, to protect her. Because she couldn't protect herself. That was something she had learnt quickly after her mother's passing. To use Robert's words, she was a "worthless piece of shit, an unwanted inconvenience, and a crybaby."

She fell back to sleep quickly after Robert left. But a half an hour later, she jolted awake as someone came knocking on her front door. She was groggy, both from the pain and exhaustion, and it took her a while to sit up. She wondered who it could be. She had no intention of answering the door, not with that face. But whoever was on her porch was insisting. They knocked once every minute. After four minutes had passed, the knocks became stronger and louder, as if the visitor was worried by the lack of answer, as if they knew she was inside the house.

She took a deep breath. What if it was a vampire? What if they were attracted to her blood, what if they could smell her from very far away? She decided to take a peek outside her window but there was nothing unusual in the streets. No unknown car, nobody. But, as she was standing by the window, she started to feel it. Him. His power. She knew exactly who it was and a knot started to form in her stomach. What could she do? Could she scream from her window for him to go away? That wouldn't work. And if he really wanted to enter, he would break in, a door wouldn't stop an Original vampire, would it?

She felt weak. She couldn't stay on her feet for long, she would feel dizzy and pass out. She walked back to her bed and sat on the edge. She tried to think clearly, to find a solution. How could she answer him and not show her face? Simple. She couldn't. She didn't know why she cared about him finding out. Surely, he couldn't care less about her wellbeing. She just didn't want anyone to know, and she was already weak enough to his eyes.

She took another deep breath, tried to hide her face behind her hair, before she walked out of her room. Merely breathing hurt, walking was even more painful. She carefully held her injured arm with her right hand. She slowly and painfully walked down the stairs. She figured he could smell her approaching because as soon as her bare feet touched the cold tiles he started to talk.

"I know you're here," he said.

To her surprise, he didn't sound angry or impatient. Maybe a little curious and… worried? But she couldn't trust her judgement, not in the state she was in. She tried one last time to adjust her hair, but she had no illusion, she knew she couldn't hide. She gulped as she put her hand on the handle. She opened it slowly, slightly at first, looking down in an attempt to hide. He could barely see her face. Looking down at her, he saw she was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Only thing that had changed, something she hadn't even thought about, was the blood on her shirt.

"What happened?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a weak and trembling voice, looking away, hiding behind the barely opened door.

"What's wrong?" he insisted, wondering why she was suddenly so scared of him.

"Nothing," she answered in an emotionless tone. "What do you want?"

"I thought I'd come by and advise you not to leave your house today. Obviously, you're not going anywhere…"

"I'll stay here," she nodded.

"What happened?" he asked again, knowing something was wrong. "Why is there blood on your shirt?"

She didn't answer. He watched as she looked down to see what he was talking about.

"I had a nose bleed," she lied in a whisper.

"What have you been up to all night? You haven't changed."

Mackenzie could try and come up with all the lame excuses but she knew Elijah was a smart man who wouldn't believe any of it.

"Look at me," he said.

She looked away, clinging to the wall as she tried not to lose her balance. She was starting to get really dizzy and she really needed to sit down.

"I'm tired. I'm just gonna sleep all day," she told him with a broken voice.

"Look at me," he repeated. "Invite me in."

She shook her head, but quickly regretted it as it made her even more dizzy.

"I'm fine," she lied, "I just need to sleep."

"What happened to your face?" he asked with an angry tone as he noticed a few anomalies through her thin brown hair.

"Nothing," she quickly said.

She wanted nothing more than to shut the door but figured he could kick it open if he really wanted to enter. She didn't have time to think of a better solution as he grabbed the part of her hand that had slid on the door frame and pulled her towards him. She cried out as she fell into his arms, then cried out again when he touched her injured arm. He seized her by the upper arms, strong enough for her not to move but not strong enough to hurt her. Her hair finally out of her face, he could see it all. Her red broken nose, her red and swollen eyes, her cut and bloody lips. Her entire face was covered with blood and tears. Her wet eyes were looking away and he realized she wasn't trembling with fear, but with pain and maybe shame.

"What happened to you?" he asked, completely baffled and horrified.

When he left her the night before, she was completely safe. But now, he could see old and black bruises behind the fading makeup, her mascara had run down onto her cheeks, she could barely breathe through her nose and he wouldn't be surprised if her cheekbones were broken. She broke down then and there, falling under her weak legs. Elijah caught her before she could reach the ground.

"I'm sorry," she cried as she clung to his arms.

"Why are you sorry?" he whispered as he steadied her in his arms.

She didn't reply, she buried her face in his chest as she cried, wept, sobbed, and whimpered. She couldn't help it, she couldn't stop it, she couldn't even realize it, she just needed to do it.

"Invite me in," he asked gently, in a soothing voice. "Vampires can't enter your home without your invitation. Invite me in and let me heal you."

A few sobs and sniffed later she slightly moved away and looked up, giving him a confused look, though her broken face made it hard to tell what look she had.

"My blood will heal you," he said. "Invite me in."

Confused, but too upset to make sense of things, she nodded, sobbed and sniffed a few times more before she managed to say the words:

"Co- come i-in."

The second she said it, he scooped her in his arms and entered the house, vampire speed. The door slammed shut as he turned to his left and found the living room. He settled her on the couch. He sat next to her, examining her face she was trying to hide. He decided to let her calm down, he'll ask questions later. He looked around and noticed the empty bottles of beer laying around the room. If only the disgusting smell of beer could conceal the delicious smell of her blood. It was stronger and harder to fight now that it was on her face and on her clothes.

"Your father did this to you?"

"Stepfather," she quickly corrected him before she could stop herself.

"It's not the first time, is it?"

She sniffed as she shook her head. She was looking away, trying to hide behind her hair. He moved closer to her, put his hands on her waist and lifted her effortlessly to place her on his lap. She winced when he accidentally put pressure on the bruises. She tried to move away but he kept his left arm around her body and pulled her to his chest.

"My blood will heal you," he said before he bit his wrist.

She watched, confused, as his bleeding wrist approached her face. She pushed it away.

"It'll take away the pain," he whispered.

She hesitated, staring at the bleeding wound that was closing fast. He slowly moved his wrist closer to her face and she reluctantly let him. She put her hand on his arm as she started to drink from him. As she drank, she slowly leaned back against him and closed her eyes. He rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in the delectable smell of her blood. The silence soothed her. She felt at peace, she didn't want to move.

She could feel his power running down her throat. It was hot and powerful. The pain gradually went away, first in her face, then in her arm. Once the pain was completely gone, she used her now healed hand to push his wrist away. She blushed when she realized the position she was in. She licked her lips as she got off his lap and sat back on the couch.

"Feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you," she shyly replied.

The truth was; she felt amazing. The pain was completely gone, vanished, eradicated. Her arm and her nose weren't broken anymore. Her face, though still sticky with blood, wasn't hurting, just like that. All it took was vampire blood. Maybe, she thought, maybe there were some perks of being a vampire. She felt so grateful towards Elijah whose first instinct was to heal her and take away the pain. It was an unfamiliar gesture she didn't know how to feel about.

"Bathroom?" he suddenly asked, surprising her even more.

"Upstairs," she replied as she pointed at the ceiling.

"Come on," he said as he got up and held his hand out to her.

She frowned, wondering what he wanted to do, but took his hand anyway. As they walked, Mackenzie wondered why she hadn't been told about the "vampires can't enter without invitation" thing. It would have helped her sleep a little better at night.

"Do you need anything?" she asked as she led him to her bedroom and pointed at the bathroom door.

He didn't answer. He made his way to the other room and gestured her to follow him. She watched him as he looked around and she wished he would just tell her what he needed. Finally, he found the cupboard where she kept the towels and the cloths. He took one of each before he turned around to face the sink.

"What ar-," she started to say but she didn't get the chance to finish as he lifted her off her feet and sat her down on the counter.

He turned the tap and passed the cloth under the water.

"I can do that myself," she told him.

"Mmh."

She looked away as he started to clean her face. Washing dry blood off the skin was a complicated task. They stayed quiet for a moment. Elijah wanted to make her feel safe. She needed it. She needed to be taken care of, for once. But Mackenzie could only feel shame and he saw it on her face.

"I would have helped you if you had asked," he spoke up.

"Oh," is all she could say.

"Did you think I wouldn't help?"

She shrugged. "It didn't even cross my mind to ask," she admitted.

"How long has this be going on?"

She didn't reply right away.

"A couple of years," she said in a whisper, as if she were ashamed.

"You didn't tell anyone. Why not?"

She looked down at her hands and shrugged.

"I was afraid, I… I didn't want to make it worse and I… I didn't want to be a crybaby…"

He stopped, making her look up. The look he gave her, a mix of pity and sympathy, made her feel even more ashamed and she looked back down. He placed his knuckle under her chin and lifted her head back up to make her look at him.

"You're not a crybaby, Mackenzie," he said. "This is real. Being afraid is the rational response to have. I'd be surprised if you had acted any differently. Your life isn't easy, crueler than most. You get to cry once in a while. It doesn't make you weak. On the contrary. It makes you human."

"But I'm not human, am I?" she retorted.

"That's not what I meant," he replied as he brought the wet cloth back on her face.

She knew what he meant. Even though she was an elemental she was still more human than he was, he was a monster, that was how he considered himself, she could see it on his face as he said it, and she wasn't sure she could disagree. But at that moment, he wasn't a monster, at that moment he was human, showing sympathy and kindness. He didn't hesitate for a second. As soon as he saw her face he had to heal her, there was nothing else to do. No time to ask questions, he had to enter and help her. He hadn't showed any sign of anger towards her, nothing he did made her feel threatened. And yet, every time she looked at him, she remembered Trevor and his headless body lying in a pool of his own blood. Was she stupid enough to believe he actually cared? To her, it was more probable that he just needed her to be okay long enough to kill Klaus. After that, if he didn't kill her, he would lose all interest in her wellbeing. But, at that moment, he looked like he cared, at least a little. He was taking care of her like no one had in years. Maybe that was why she wanted it to be true, because she needed it to be real.

"Is this real?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence, making him stop again.

"Is what real?"

"You. Being nice to me," she replied in a weak voice. "Are you just using me or… or can I really trust you?"

Elijah sighed. It shouldn't surprise him anymore that she had trust issues. And even if she didn't, he would admit it was smart not to trust him. He brushed the sticky hair away from her face and found her hazel eyes searching for his, looking for the truth. She was hoping it was real.

"You can trust me," he said before he resumed his task.

They stayed quiet as he finished to wash the blood off her face. She didn't look away from him. She was looking for something, anything that would make her believe he wasn't lying.

"You're staring," he eventually said.

She blushed as she looked away.

"Doesn't it bother you? The blood?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Suddenly, he froze. As if she had just reminded him of something.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she saw his face.

He frowned. He slowly leaned forward and she stiffened when she felt his nose in her neck.

"Well," he said, and she shivered when she felt his breath on her neck. "My blood changed your smell."

"It did?" she asked, completely confused.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's good news," he smiled.

"I can leave the house," she realized. "Thank you," she breathed out, relieved.

"No need to thank me. It won't last."

"How long?"

"Twenty-four hours. Two days, maybe?"

"Oh…"

"Sorry to disappoint."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault," she whispered.

"I'll make sure to give you my blood when you need it."

"You don't have to do that!"

"I know. I don't have to do anything," he told her as he cleaned the last stain of blood from her face.

He put the wet bloody cloth in the sink before he handed her the towel.

"Thank you…"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm… I… I've been better," she admitted as she got off the counter. "But I've been worse. Thank you for helping me. For giving me your blood. You didn't have to do that."

"Do you think I'd walk away and leave you like that?" he asked, and she could see he was offended.

She looked away, suddenly intimidated. Angering people didn't exactly go well for her.

"I didn't mean to insult you, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized out of habit. It was a reflex, a last attempt to calm down the man standing in front of her to escape his anger.

Elijah saw her demeanor quickly change. She looked down at her feet, tried to make herself smaller as her entire body trembled with fear, expecting something terrible to happen.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he calmly told her. "I promised to never harm you, remember?" he said as if he were talking to a child.

"I really didn't mean to offend you," she added, too scared to look up.

"I know," he nodded as he cupped her cheek.

The sudden and unexpected gentle touch surprised her. She flinched, awaiting pain, but when it never came, she looked up. She had never seen a look like the one he was giving her at that moment. But then, she had never met anyone like him. Her life only had one person in it and that person was Robert. For two years, she was alone and lonely, nobody to talk to, nothing to say anyway. But now, she remembered what it felt like to be taken care of, to have someone to talk to, to feel safe. She didn't care if it wasn't real, she didn't even want to think about it, she chose to trust him because she needed to. Because he was there and she needed someone at that moment. Because he gave her what she needed even though she didn't know she needed it.

She put her hand over his before she stepped forward and buried her face in his chest. Surprised, he didn't hug her back right away. Eventually, he put one hand on her back and another in her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head. He felt her hands shyly travel from his chest to his back as she settled into his arms.

"I could really use a friend," she said. She sounded exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Me too, actually," he smiled.

His answer made her chuckle.

"Thank you, Elijah."


	6. Villains and Heroes

**Hi there,**

 **Sorry this was posted late - I'm having issues with my laptop -**

 **Chapter 7 should be posted sometimes next week before Friday -**

 **Hope you like this!**

 **Enjoy -**

* * *

Mackenzie needed a shower. After everything that had happened, she really needed to feel clean again. She took her time, trying to relax, trying to think, trying to put herself back together so that once she was ready to come out, she would know what to do.

She stepped out of the steamy bathroom wearing a pair of black leggings and an old white tank top. She put her damp hair in a bun as she stepped back inside her bedroom. Elijah was still there, standing near the old vanity, his hands in his pockets, looking out the window. He turned around when she came out and watched her as she started to take the sheets off of her bed. He had noticed the bloody pillows and he would be lying if he said the smell didn't bother him. She stayed silent and avoided eye contact, and he knew exactly why.

"Did you think about what I said?"

She froze for half a second before she resumed her task, ignoring him.

"Do you need more time to think about it?"

Mackenzie threw the sheets on the floor and ignored him. She gathered the dirty laundry and carried them out of the bedroom. Elijah waited for a minute before she came back with clean sheets. He watched in silence as she made her bed.

"I don't want you to kill him," she finally replied, focusing on the pillowcase.

Her answer didn't surprise him.

"Don't you think he deserves to die?"

She froze again. The mere thought made her feel guilty because she didn't say "no" when he asked the first time.

"It's not up to me."

"It is, though."

She raised her head, finally looking up at him.

"It's not right."

"What he did to you wasn't right either."

She shivered at the thought. After two years of abuse, two years of physical and psychological torture, she finally had an opportunity to take him down. She had the option to never see him again, so why wasn't she taking it?

"I don't want you to kill him," she repeated.

"Very well, then," he sighed. "I'll just compel him."

"Thank you," she whispered, as she brought her attention back on the pillowcase.

"You need to rest now. You'll need your energy if you're going to practice magic later today."

"I'm not tired," she lied.

"I don't believe you."

"You said you'd answer my questions."

"And I will. But you need to sleep first."

Mackenzie sighed and rolled her eyes. Friends or not, trustworthy or not, she was still surprised that he cared about her wellbeing, and she didn't know if it was because nobody had cared about it in years, or if it was because he was a thousand-year-old Original vampire who surely had better things to do than babysit her. She grabbed the duvet cover but before she could even start to put it on the comforter, Elijah took it from her and in the next two seconds her bed was perfectly made.

"Sleep," he said as he pointed at the bed.

He was standing across from her, at the other side of the bed, waiting for her to do as he asked.

"I said, 'I'm not tired.'"

"And I said, 'I don't believe you'. I'll answer your questions, I promise. But right now you need to rest."

"I don't want to sleep."

"Why not?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Mackenzie looked away, embarrassed.

"Don't you have better things to do than babysit me?"

"Not today, no."

She sighed. Her silence and obvious discomfort gave him the answer.

"How bad are they, the nightmares?"

Surprised for a short moment, Mackenzie rolled her eyes again as she sat down on the bed, her back facing him.

"It depends," she whispered with a shrug.

Elijah sighed. He considered what to do for a brief moment. He then sat on the edge of the bed, took his shoes off, and leaned his back against the wall.

"Lie down."

She turned her head and saw him at the other end of the bed. Knowing he wasn't going to let it go, she did as he asked. He watched her as she rested her head on one of the pillows and laid down as far away from him as she could.

"Ask a question," he told her.

Taken by surprise, Mackenzie had to sort out all of her questions and pick only one. It took her a few seconds to decide which one she could safely ask without upsetting him in any way.

"Yesterday you said you had a thousand years to get strong."

He nodded. "I was born a little over a thousand years ago."

She wasn't as surprised as she should have been but she thought he would be older. After all, he was one of the oldest vampires in the world, one of the firsts, she didn't expect him to be so… "young".

"How many Originals are there?"

Elijah suddenly looked away. A knot started to form in her stomach when she saw the look on his face. She hadn't expected the question to bother him so much.

"You don't have to answer," she quickly added, trying to stay out of trouble.

"I do, actually. We made a deal," he reminded her.

He sighed. It was clear it was a sensitive subject.

"There used to be five of us."

"Used to be?"

"Yes," he said, and she thought she recognized sadness in his voice.

"Are they… dead? I thought you couldn't die…"

"We can't. There's a weapon, a silver dagger Klaus used to stab them in the heart. The only way to bring them back is to remove the dagger. But Klaus scattered their bodies across the seas. They're lost forever."

"They were your friends," she guessed as she saw how downhearted he was.

"They were my siblings," he whispered.

Mackenzie immediately sat up. She thought she had misheard.

"Your… your siblings?"

"Yes," he said, as he looked back at her. "Klaus is my brother. He hunted my family down and took them from me."

Confused and in disbelief, she stared at him as if they were more answers on his face. But all she could see was how vulnerable he was at that moment, opening up to her, the way she had just opened up to him.

"Elijah, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He brought his lips together and shrugged.

"You are not to blame," he replied.

"That's why you want to kill Klaus. You want revenge."

"Yes. I owe it to my family to make him pay for what he did."

"Are you sure he threw them into the sea?" she asked, making him frown. "I mean… They were his siblings too. Surely…"

Elijah smiled. It was a sad and yet peaceful smile.

"I like being in your company, Mackenzie. Your innocence is refreshing. But do not doubt Klaus is a soulless monster who doesn't care about anyone but himself, not even about his own family."

She looked down, trying to find something to say, knowing perfectly there was nothing she could tell him that would make the situation any better.

"So, Klaus is… he's as old as you?"

"I'm his older brother," he nodded. "But we are the first vampires."

"How did you…"

"Become vampires?" he finished for her and she nodded. "It's a long story," he sighed. "Should I tell you the whole story?"

"Uh… you… it's your life," she said. "You don't have to tell me anything."

"Well, it's more of a horror story than a bedtime story but… I suppose you could use the information."

He unbuttoned his jacket and took it off, laying it at the end of the bed. Mackenzie laid down next to him, apprehensive.

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe. My mother bore seven children."

"So, your family was human?"

"Yes. Though, my mother was a witch."

"Wh- what?"

"She's the one who told me about elementals in the first place. My mother was a very powerful witch, she hated your kind. I never understood why, even as a child…"

"But… if she was a witch… doesn't that make you…"

"No," he cut her off. "Witches are servants of nature, vampires are abominations of nature, you can either be one or the other, never both."

"But… you used to be a witch?"

"I never really took an interest in magic. Unlike my brothers, Finn and Kol."

"So, you had six siblings? But you said there were only five Originals."

"My parents' first born died from the plague. In order to protect their future family from the same fate, they moved away. They arrived here, to what became Mystic Falls eight centuries later."

He said it with a smile, knowing he was going to enjoy Mackenzie's reaction. And he did. The elemental immediately sat up, a baffled look on her face which quickly changed into confusion then skepticism.

"That's not possible," she said with a frown. "This part of the world hadn't been discovered yet!"

Elijah chuckled. "Not that you'd know. My mother knew a witch, Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy, blessed by the gifts of speed and strength. That led my parents here, where they lived in peace for twenty years, during which they had more children. Including me."

"You were born here?" she breathed out.

He nodded. "So were my brothers and my sister, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah and Henrik. I hav- had… an older brother, Finn."

"The one who died?"

"No, Finn was my parents' second child."

"But… that leaves six of you."

"Yes… The gifted people we lived with were werewolves," he started to say and Mackenzie could see on his face he was getting to the bad part. "One full moon, Niklaus and Henrik went to watch them turn. That was forbidden. Henrik…" he paused, looking away.

"He died…" she finished for him in a whisper.

"Yes," he nodded. "That was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors. My father begged my mother to find a way to protect us. He wanted us to be better than werewolves, stronger, faster… immortal."

"She turned you to protect you…" she breathed out.

"Yes… She didn't know…" he stopped and scoffed. "She didn't know we would become… well, what we became."

"'Wha-, you mean… she didn't turn?"

"No. She did it for us."

"She must have been really powerful, I mean… she created a… a new species!"

"She was," he nodded. "She used the sun for life and an ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects for immortality. That night, my father offered us wine mixed with blood… then killed us."

"You- your father killed you?"

"He did. He was happy to do it… When we came back to life we had to drink more blood to complete the transition. But, there were consequences. The spirits turned on us. For weeks we were stuck inside, it was impossible for us to stand in the sun. My mother found a solution," he said, showing her the ring he wore on his left middle finger. It might have been made of gold, Mackenzie couldn't tell, but there was a blue stone in the middle, maybe made out of lapis lazuli. "Daylight rings. The same magic your friends the Salvatores and Miss Forbes use, I imagine."

"They're not my friends."

"Right," he chuckled. "They were other problems. We could no longer enter homes without being invited, the flowers at the base of the white oak tree, vervain, burnt and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burnt it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated. The hunger for blood."

"She didn't mean to turn you into vampires. She wanted you to be safe, to never die."

"Everybody makes mistakes," he scoffed. "It wasn't her first…"

"What do you mean?"

"Miss Gilbert and her friends believe Niklaus wants to break the Sun and the Moon Curse."

"That's not true?"

"He wants to break a curse, but not that one. That one… doesn't exist."

"Wha- what do you mean, it doesn't exist? Elena has to die to break it."

"Niklaus and I faked the Sun and the Moon Curse a long time ago. We made it so vampires believed that if they broke the curse themselves they will be able to walk in the sun. But if a werewolf breaks it, then they wouldn't have to turn at the full moon anymore," he said, leaving Mackenzie speechless, "We were looking for the moonstone and the doppelganger. We figured that the best way to find them was to send two different species after them."

"But… if the Sun and the Moon Curse is fake… what do you need Elena for?"

"There is a curse Niklaus wants to break. It's a curse placed on him. You see… My brother and my father didn't get along well. When Niklaus made his first kill as a vampire, we found out the truth. Niklaus wasn't my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before, Klaus was from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and killed my mother's lover and his entire family, igniting a war between the species that rages until this day."

"A war between species…"

"The vampires… and the werewolves."

"I- I don't understand…"

"Niklaus' father was a werewolf. When he killed for the first time he triggered his werewolf curse. But a hybrid would be deadlier than a vampire or a werewolf so my mother saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant. Klaus wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If that happens, Niklaus would sire his own bloodline, he'd build his own race, endangering not only vampires… but everyone."

"Wait, wait," she stopped him. "So, a werewolf will only turn at the full moon if they've killed someone?" she asked and he nodded. "And… you helped Klaus fake the Sun and the Moon Curse? Why?"

"I helped him because I loved him. That's changed now. He must die."

"Okay," she nodded, understanding how he felt, "but… you burnt the tree that could kill you. How are your siblings dead?"

"Well, the witches would never stand for such an imbalance, every creature on this earth must have a weakness, so they created silver daggers. Combined with the ashes of the white oak tree, once stabbed in the heart with them, we will die. Once the dagger is removed, we will come back."

"So, you can't die 'die'. But... why can't you use the dagger against Klaus?"

"When a werewolf is wounded by silver it heals. The daggers won't work. There's one way to kill any supernatural species, at the hands of the servants of nature themselves. If they can channel that much power. The Martins have a spell that could allow them to do so, but with you… I believe we stand a better chance."

"Me?" she repeated, staring at him like he was crazy.

She got off the bed and started pacing in her room.

"You… I… 'channel that much power'… I can't even… I don't even…"

She jumped, startled, when he was suddenly in front of her.

"Calm down."

"You can't expect me to be powerful enough to do that! I have no idea how to do… anything!"

"Jonas will teach you. I'm confident you will be ready in time."

"What if… what if I'm not?" she breathed out with tears in her eyes.

He stopped her, put both his hands on her shoulders and made her look up at him.

"You're an elemental, an ultimate, you're more powerful than my mother ever was. You will be ready in time. You can do this. You have to."

She didn't know why he had such confidence in her. Maybe it was because failing wasn't an option. If Klaus became a hybrid then many people would die and they couldn't let that happen. Elijah was right. She had to do it. She had to do it for Elena.

"So what about the sacrifice?" she asked, then sniffed. "How are you gonna keep Elena safe?"

"I have a potion I had made five centuries ago for Katerina. If Elena drinks it, she'll die but will come back to life."

"You… you tried to save Katherine's life?"

"Yes," he nodded, and it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.

"Does Elena know? About the potion?"

"She doesn't have all the details, no."

"But does she know she has to do the sacrifice? That she has to die?"

"She does. Miss Gilbert is truly remarkable, she doesn't want anyone to die for her. She's quite the opposite of her ancestor…"

"Why… why don't you want Elena to know… all of this?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure they deserve to know, yet."

"But I do?"

"What I'm asking from you is…" he stopped, then shook his head, "yes, you deserve to know why you're doing what you're doing."

Mackenzie shook her head, but then nodded.

"You don't trust them."

"I doubt they trust me. I'm sure they're looking for a way to get rid of me as we speak."

"Elena wouldn't do that."

"How would you know? You're not friends."

"I just… she wouldn't..."

"I would agree with you. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for her friends, the Salvatores. Especially Damon."

"I've never met Damon."

"Lucky you," he chuckled.

"I, uh…" she paused, then looked down. This wasn't going to be easy to ask. "Elena said that Stefan didn't drink human blood…"

"I'm not surprised," he nodded.

"What about… Damon? What about…"

"Me?" he cut her off and she nodded. "Well, we're vampires. We need to feed, one way or another."

"But Stefan… how does he do it?"

"He lives in the middle of the forest, doesn't he?" Elijah shrugged. "As for the rest of us, blood bags are a decent solution, not that we only feed from those."

"So…" she cleared her throat. "You kill people…"

"Not necessarily. We can drink from someone without killing them. But yes, we kill people, but you already knew that."

Yes. Yes, she did already know that. And she didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Let's talk about something else," she said before she made her way back to her bed.

"You should rest, now. You'll need your strength to practice magic later today."

Mackenzie sighed as she sat down. She was tired, she couldn't deny it, but she was afraid of the nightmares, and after the conversation she just had, she was bound to have some.

"Please," he insisted. "After what happened last night I'm sure you could use a few hours of sleep."

"Can we please just keep talking? I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep if I'm alone…"

Elijah sighed. He walked towards her and gestured her to lie down. She moved so he could sit next to her. She was so small her feet didn't even reach the jacket that was at the end of the bed.

"You're not alone," he said as he moved to lean against the wall.

"I'm sure you have better things to do then watch me sleep…"

He frowned. "Not really," he said, as if it were a surprise to him too.

She laid down on the side, facing him.

"You don't have to take care of me. I've been fine on my own for two years."

"Obviously not," he said and it sounded meaner than he intended it to be. "I believe you could use the company. So could I. But if you want me to leave then I won't stay any longer."

He moved to get up but Mackenzie immediately put her hand on his to stop him.

"Wait… Don't go."

She could see he was surprised but all he saw in her eyes was a plea. She wasn't scared of him, for once, she was scared of being alone.

"Very well."

She relaxed when he positioned himself back on the bed. She took a deep breath before she settled her head between the pillows and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. The silence wasn't so scary with Elijah sitting right next to her. She focused on his breathing, it soothed her. The situation she was in didn't even surprise her. Elijah wasn't a big bad vampire anymore but her friend. The one and only person she could count on. Someone who was keeping her secret just like she was keeping his. Someone she could trust. She hoped.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	7. Undead Creature

When Mackenzie woke up, she felt lazy. She didn't want to get out of bed. It was the first time in two years since she felt like sleeping late was a possible option for her. There was nothing to worry about. For the second time this week she didn't have to hurry to make Robert's breakfast. She didn't even have to worry about him. Elijah had compelled him to ignore her completely. It's not that he wasn't allowed to talk to her, he just couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't even look at her.

She was exhausted. Practicing magic was the hardest thing she ever had to do. It was so easy and yet so hard. It was like learning how to walk all over again, and she was just a baby at this stage. Within the last two days she had met with Jonas twice. Twice now the warlock had forced her to stare at a dead plant for hours, asking her to revive it. But to no end. It was frustrating.

As much as she would have loved to stay in her bed, she knew she couldn't. Elijah was picking her up early this morning. They were going to look for a witch burial ground where witches had been massacred centuries ago. Elijah said Jonas would need the power if he would be the one who were to face Klaus, and that they would probably need the extra power anyways. He also said they might find it faster as she would be able to feel the magic from the site. Moreover, it had been over 24h now. She needed Elijah's blood again to cover the strong smell of her own.

She got up and took a shower. She made sure Robert was gone before she walked down the stairs. Even though she knew he couldn't hurt her anymore, she couldn't help but be uncomfortable in his presence. Scared, even. It was Saturday, which meant he would either stay home all day or go meet his friends and/or colleagues somewhere. Seeing as his car wasn't there when she looked out the window of her room, she guessed it was the second option.

She had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when Elijah knocked on her door. He was wearing a suit, as always. Mackenzie never dared ask why, she liked the mystery. She liked to believe he was just that old-fashioned.

"Hey," she said as she gave him a small smile. "Come in."

"Good morning, Ms. Alemaund," he smiled back at her as he stepped inside her home.

"So, how is it?" she asked, a little bit nervous, as she closed the door.

"Not bad," he said. "But still strong."

"Can I leave my house like this?"

"Yes," he nodded. "But I'm afraid you won't be able to on Monday."

"So, you're coming back on Monday, then?"

"Yes. I have to take you to Jonas anyway" he told her. "Are you ready? We don't want to make Ms. Sommers wait."

Jenna was a little surprised by Mackenzie's presence. Elijah explained to her that Mackenzie was curious about his research and he agreed that she accompany them.

"I hope that's not an issue," Elijah said.

"Oh, not at all!" the redhead replied. "The more the merrier," she chuckled, a little bit nervously.

Mackenzie's presence didn't change her plans. She had the maps Elijah had asked for and she happily told him everything he wanted to know as they walked through the property lines.

"The old Fell property actually starts just beyond that fence," she said as she pointed towards what she was mentioning.

"Ah, the Fells," Elijah chuckled. "One of the founding families."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"My research showed me that this area was actually settled almost two centuries earlier. There was a migration of towns folks from the Northeast. Salem to be precise."

"Massachusetts? As in the witch trials?" Jenna asked.

Elijah nodded. "Which means the ever-lauded founding families didn't actually found anything."

Mackenzie couldn't help but let out a discreet laugh only Elijah heard, which made him smile, though she didn't see it as she was looking at the ground.

It also made Jenna chuckle: "Well, I bet it was the men who made a big deal about being founders back in 1860. Men are very territorial."

"Yes, they are," he sighed.

His tone made Mackenzie look up out of curiosity. She followed their gaze and saw Alaric Saltzman coming their way. He was walking with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Both Mackenzie and Elijah knew he was probably here because he was worried about Jenna. As for Elena's aunt, she was clearly surprised.

"Uh… Elijah, this is my, uh, friend, Alaric Saltzman."

"Yeah, I got your message about walking Elijah through the property lines. I thought I would tag along. You know, being a history buff and all," he chuckled. He gave a weird look to Mackenzie. He had no idea what she was doing there. He was surprised to see her standing so close to Elijah. He would have thought she would have preferred to be anywhere else but near the Original vampire. "What about you, Mackenzie, are you helping Jenna?"

"I…"

"She's with me," Elijah cut her off. "She's interested in my research," he said with an amused smile.

Alaric frowned, obviously confused.

"Well, you do like history," he said, unconvinced. He couldn't be fooled. Something strange was happening, but he couldn't figure out what. He knew he hadn't compelled her as Elena had mentioned she couldn't be compelled for some reason. Whatever the reason she had to spend time with Elijah, he imagined it couldn't be anything good. "Well," he cleared his throat, "where to next?"

"I'm pretty curious about the freed slave property owners," Elijah replied. "Some say the descendants of the slaves are the true keepers of American history."

"Well, I only brought the surveys. I've got that list in my car, just give me a sec," Jenna said before she walked away, leaving the three "history buffs" alone.

Alaric watched her walk away and Elijah made sure she was far enough for her not to hear them before he spoke up.

"Alaric Saltzman. You're one of those people on Elena's list of loved ones to protect."

"Yeah, so is Jenna," he reminded him, "and Mackenzie."

"You don't have to be worried, Ms. Alemaund is in no danger with me," he assured the vampire hunter.

Alaric frowned as he held Elijah's gaze for a few seconds before his eyes fell on his student.

"Are you okay, Mackenzie?"

"I'm fine," she quickly replied with a smile she wanted to be reassuring.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…" she started but stopped as she had no idea what to tell him. Elijah was looking at her with an amused smile, curious of what she was going to say. "I'm just… helping."

"Helping who do what?"

"Helping… Elijah with his research…" she said in a whisper her professor almost couldn't hear.

He looked at her with a weird look on his face, confused as to why she would say such an obvious and terrible lie.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not bothering to hide his concern.

"I'm fine, Professor Saltzman," she told him again, "I really am."

He frowned again, trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe, because Elijah was an Original he could compel other supernatural creatures normal vampires couldn't. He would have to keep a very close eye on her.

"Ric!" Jenna called from the car, "could you give me a hand?"

"Yeah!" he waved at her to reply. He gave one last look to Mackenzie, then another one to Elijah, before he turned around and left.

"You're a terrible liar," Elijah mocked.

"Hey," she complained as she playfully pushed him.

Alaric was even more confused when he turned around and saw both of them laughing.

Sitting at a table in the crowded and loud Mystic Grill, Alaric, Damon and his girlfriend, Andie Star, were talking about the weird encounter the history professor had had that morning.

"Other than your lecture on Mystic Falls, did you get anything out of Elijah?" Damon asked.

"No, it was boring," Alaric sighed, "Though I suspect he's able to compel supernatural creatures, unlike you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Remember Mackenzie?"

"Who?"

"Mackenzie? The girl that Rose kidnapped with Elena?"

"Oh yeah, the kid that smells like candy, what about her?"

"She was there."

"What do you mean 'She was there'?"

"She was there, this morning," Alaric repeated, "with Elijah."

Damon frowned. "What was she doing there?"

"I have no idea. When I asked her she said she was helping him with his research."

"Oh yeah, she's definitely compelled," Damon agreed. "The kid was traumatized, she passed out when we found her."

"Didn't you say Elijah compelled Katherine to stay in the tomb?" Andie asked her "boyfriend".

"Yeah, he did."

"So, if he can compel vampires…"

"He can compel other supernatural creatures," Damon sighed. "Which means it's time for Bon-Bon to drink that vervain tea we've all been on."

"It also means he broke the deal," Alaric added before he stopped. "Maybe we shouldn't… talk about this here?" he said, eyeing Andie.

"Don't worry about Andie. She's been compelled not to divulge my secrets, haven't you?" he said as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Mmhmm, my lips are sealed," she said before she kissed him.

"This is too weird," Alaric sighed with slight disgust as he looked away.

"I just need the right opportunity," Damon thought out loud.

The vampire looked up from the table as Jenna, Elijah and Mackenzie entered the Grill.

"Ah. There's Jenna with her new boyfriend," he joked to tease his friend.

Alaric took a look and rolled his eyes as he saw them approach.

"Hi," Damon waved at them.

"Hey, guys," Jenna waved back with a big smile.

Elijah politely smiled at them as he approached the table with Mackenzie. She knew this could end very badly considering Damon wasn't a fan of Elijah.

"So, I hear you all had quite a meeting of historical minds," Damon said.

Mackenzie shivered when his eyes landed on her. He gave her a weird smile as he looked her up and down, which made her feel self-conscious. She quickly looked up at Elijah who was staring at the vampire with an amused smile.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Jenna smiled at the eldest Salvatore brother.

"Well," Alaric sighed as he got up, "As much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade."

"Well, you know what," Andie said, stopping him from leaving, "We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party."

"Ooh, my girl! Full of good ideas! I'll be happy to host," Damon said with a smirk. "Say, tonight, maybe?"

"Yeah, tonight works for me," Andie agreed.

"Well, you know what, tonight's not gonna wo…"

"I'll be there," Jenna stopped Alaric, who rolled his eyes again, now forced into going to a dinner party he had no wish to attend.

Damon was holding Elijah's gaze with a proud smirk. The Original vampire wasn't impressed by the staged invitation of the vampire's compelled girlfriend. It wasn't a very original tactic.

"It would be a pleasure," Elijah shrugged and smiled. "What do you say Mackenzie?"

"Uh, um, I don't think I was invited," she chuckled nervously, taken by surprise by the invitation. It was obviously "adults only".

"I'm sure she has better things to do on a Saturday night than hang out with her history professor," Alaric said, hoping Mackenzie wouldn't be present at the dinner. He didn't know what Damon was plotting but it was nothing good.

"Actually, I promised her I'd walk her through some details of my research and I feel bad for cancelling our plans," Elijah said. "So, if you don't mind…" he asked Damon.

The vampire forced a smile on his face. "Not at all! The more the merrier."

"Great," Elijah smiled. "We will see you tonight."

"Why do you want me there tonight?" Mackenzie asked the Original vampire as they walked up the stairs to Jonas' apartment.

"Because Damon doesn't."

"You think he's planning something?"

"Oh, he most definitely is," he said. "And I'll feel better with you there," he joked.

"Don't make fun of me," she rolled her eyes which made him chuckle. "I have a bad feeling about tonight, do I really have to go?"

"You don't have to, no…" he replied, but he really wanted her to come. He wanted her to see what Damon could do. Maybe it was because he wanted her to stop seeing him as "the bad guy" and see that the world wasn't black or white, that there was no "good guy" in this story, that Damon and his brother weren't better than him.

"But you'd like me to…" Mackenzie guessed.

"I would."

She sighed. They stopped in front of Jonas' front door and Elijah was about to knock when she stopped him.

"I'll come under one condition," she told him. She saw he was surprised she was negotiating with him. He nodded. "No one is getting hurt tonight, no matter what happens."

She could see he was annoyed by her request.

"That might not be up to me," he said. "If Damon does anything…"

"Then you'll stop him," she cut him off, "but you won't…" she stopped. "You won't hurt him."

Elijah stayed silent as he considered it. He wondered for a second why Damon mattered to her, but it occurred to him she probably would have asked the exact same thing for anyone else. Mackenzie stared at him expectedly.

"Fine," he finally agreed.

"You promise?"

He sighed. "I promise."

Practice had been as awful as the day before and the day before that. Nothing happened, which made Mackenzie feel even more useless than usual. She was angry at herself for not making it work. "It's in you" is what Jonas said. So why couldn't she make it work? Why couldn't she revive that dead plant whose dead power she could still feel? It was right in front of her, the tools were in her, they were in the air, they were in the plant itself and yet, she hadn't been able to do anything. Nothing at all.

Elijah could see she was beating herself up about it. She was sitting on the passenger seat of his car, in her dark red dress and black ballerina shoes, staring at her hands, lost deep in her dark thoughts.

"You'll get it soon," he said, getting her attention. "Nobody said it was going to be easy."

"True… But nobody said it was going to be this hard."

Even though Elijah had agreed to answer all her questions, Mackenzie couldn't bring herself to ask them. At first, he wondered if it were because she was still wary of him, but then he started to think that she wasn't probably used to talking to someone, to anyone, about anything. He tried to start a conversation a few times, but she always replied with short answers, killing the conversation mercilessly, though he knew she wasn't doing it on purpose. So they drove in silence to the Salvatore's house, or as Mackenzie saw it, to the big obvious trap.

Mackenzie took a deep breath as Elijah knocked on the door of the Salvatore's boarding house. She was convinced this wasn't going to end well. For anyone.

The door opened to a smiling Damon. He seemed to be in a good mood, he didn't look worried or scared at all. Elijah took this as arrogance, but it scared Mackenzie. She still had that bad feeling from earlier, and Damon had the look of someone who knew something his "enemy" didn't.

"Good evening," Elijah smiled back.

"Thank you for coming. Please, come in."

"Just one moment," Elijah said, putting his hand on the frame of the door. "Can I just say that if you have less-than-honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."

Mackenzie looked up at him, then at Damon, curious to see his reaction.

Damon nodded. "No, nothing dishonorable. Just, uh, getting to know you," he said with a smile. And not a sincere one. It's like he wasn't even trying to be convincing.

Mackenzie's bad feeling wasn't going away, it was actually getting stronger and it almost hurt her stomach.

"Mm, that's good," Elijah replied as he stepped inside the house, followed by Mackenzie.

"Elijah, Mackenzie!" Jenna called as she saw them enter. "It's good to see you," she smiled at them.

"You too Jenna, you look incredible," Elijah smiled back.

"Why, thank you," she grinned. "Damon, I need help with the oven, I have no idea how to make it work."

"What makes you think I do?" Damon joked.

"I'll help," Mackenzie volunteered, eager to be in human company.

"You know how to cook?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah."

Elijah watched Mackenzie walk away as Damon closed the front door. When they were finally alone in the hall, Elijah took the opportunity to make himself clearer.

"You know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?"

Damon frowned. "Crystal," the vampire said after a few seconds, as seriously as the Original vampire had ever seen him. "Speaking of deal…" he continued, "Mackenzie is on Elena's list of people you're supposed to protect. I think compelling the kid to be your little pet isn't exactly 'protecting' her."

Elijah raised an eyebrow then let out a small laugh.

"And what do you care about Ms. Alemaund?"

"Oh, I don't," Damon shrugged. "But Elena does."

"Ah yes, I'm sure she does," Elijah said sarcastically. "But see, I am a man of my word. I make a deal, I keep a deal. I haven't compelled her, I can't. She's not human."

"You think I'm gonna believe that?"

"You believe whatever you want to believe, Damon."

"You can compel vampires, I'm sure a witch is no problem to you."

"I am an Original vampire. I can compel vampires, I could compel you if I wanted to, but witches, I'm afraid, are out of my reach."

Damon stared at him in silence, trying to figure out if he could believe him or not.

"So, I'm supposed to believe the kid is willingly following you everywhere for no reason?"

"Her reasons are her own," Elijah said in a tone which made it clear to the eldest Salvatore that he was getting annoyed by his interrogation, "if you want to know them I suggest you ask her, not me."

"Will do," Damon nodded. "Will do."

Mackenzie felt out of place sitting at the dinner table among the adults. The adults who were composed of two vampires, one vampire hunter, a compelled fake girlfriend, an oblivious human and whatever John Gilbert was. Luckily for the elemental, nobody was paying attention to her, and it was easy for her to make herself invisible. She helped Jenna in the kitchen as Elena's aunt was a terrible cook.

Dinner went well. As well as it could have. Mackenzie assumed that creepy conversations were bound to happen while having dinner with hundreds of year old vampires. She enjoyed the break before dessert during which Damon and Elijah had left to another room to have a drink. When they came back, Jenna was serving coffee, but dessert wasn't on the table.

"Sorry, guys," she said. "Dessert is taking longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food," she chuckled.

"I'll help you."

"Oh, no, Mackenzie stay, it's fine! You've done enough, you deserve a break," Jenna told her before she left the room.

So, there she was again, sitting at the table with Elijah and John. She was sitting at the vampire's left and the empty seat next to her belonged to her history professor who hadn't come back yet. When she looked around, she noticed Damon was not in the room either.

"So," Andie said as she sat across Elijah. "I know this is a social thing, but I'd really love to ask you some questions about the work you're doing."

"I'd love to answer," Elijah nodded.

"Great. Oh, that's so great! Ric!" she called as the professor stepped in the room with Damon, "would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?"

"Sure."

"Elijah," Damon started as he sat back down, "did John tell you he's Elena's uncle slash father?" Damon asked with an amused smirk.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that."

"What?" Mackenzie breathed out. She thought she had heard it all but that one was new to her.

"Of course, she hates him," Damon continued, completely ignoring the elemental. "So, there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list."

Mackenzie looked at Damon, then at John, who didn't look too reassured.

"Ric, it's in the front pocket, on the… You know what? Excuse me, guys, sorry," Andie said as she got up to find her notebook herself.

"Now, Mackenzie, is it?" Damon asked the teenager. She was taken by surprise as she had been ignored by the vampire the entire evening. She shyly nodded. "What I would like to know is why you're following the big bad vampire who scared you to death two weeks ago like a loyal little puppy?"

Mackenzie was speechless. She stared at the vampire with big eyes, incapable of answering him. She would have happily told him it was none of his business if she hadn't been certain he'd kill her for it.

"Unless, you can't tell me?" he continued.

"That's enough," Elijah stopped him.

"You're the one who told me to ask her," Damon defended himself. "So, I'm asking. If he didn't compel you, what are you doing here?"

"I… I…" she stuttered, but she didn't even have time to think of an answer as Andie came back with her notebook and her own questions.

"Okay. My first question is, when you got to Mystic Falls…"

But the journalist didn't have time to finish as Elijah suddenly screamed in pain. It startled Mackenzie who shrieked and jumped on her chair before she saw her history professor had stabbed Elijah in the back. Damon and John got up, neither of them startled by the not so sudden scream of agony coming from the Original vampire. Andie was taken by surprise though, and watched with horror as the thousand year old immortal turned grey.

"What are you doing?!" Mackenzie shouted.

She watched helplessly as Elijah took his last breaths. As he struggled to breathe, so did she. Her eyes grew big as his skin slowly lost its lively colors. Seconds turned to hours as his pain never seemed to come to an end. When he was finally dead, Alaric pulled the dagger out of the vampire's back and his lifeless body fell to the ground.

"What did you do?" Mackenzie repeated in a whisper as she slowly slid off her chair to kneel by her friend's body.

Her heart was beating fast in her chest, her body was shaking, still in shock of what had just happened. She didn't notice the lights flickering in the room. She looked at Elijah's now grey skin for a few seconds, getting used to the idea that her immortal friend was now dead. She then looked up at her history professor who was holding a silver dagger in his hand. She frowned as she remembered Elijah's words from a few days before: _"The witches created silver daggers. Once stabbed in the heart with them, we will die. Once the dagger is removed, we will come back."_ She unknowingly let out a breath of relief when it hit her. Elijah might be dead for now, but he would come back. Just like he came back after Damon killed him the first time in the old house, because he couldn't be killed. Because he couldn't die.

A wave of anger took over her. The fact that he stabbed him in the back is what made her so angry. As she stared at the dagger in silence, the light bulbs in the room all exploded, leaving the few candles around as only source of light. She felt it in her even though she didn't do it on purpose.

"What the hell?" Damon said as he looked around.

She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath and focus as to not break any more objects. But she could still feel the magic. She could always feel it. It was everywhere. She could feel it in the air, in Damon's body, in Alaric's ring and even in Elijah. Just like she could feel the magic from the dead plant at Jonas', she could feel it from Elijah's dead body.

Alaric put the dagger down on the table before he said: "Now get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert."

Mackenzie let out a shaky breath. What should she do? She had to do something, but what? There was no way she could stop them from taking Elijah and she had no idea when he would come back to life. She didn't know what they were planning to do with him while he was unconscious, and she couldn't take the risk of letting them take him. He needed to come back now.

Jonas' words echoed in her head: _"Time killed that plant, but magic can revive it. Use your magic. You have it in you."_

Mackenzie quickly seized Elijah's wrist and transferred her magic to him. She had no idea what she was doing but she hoped that she was doing it right.

"What are you doing?" she heard John Gilbert ask.

She had no intention to reply, she just hoped she could finish whatever she was doing before they stopped her.

"Mackenzie?" she heard Alaric call her name, but she didn't reply, she kept focusing. Because even though she didn't know what was happening, she knew she needed to do something.

She knew all along this was a trap. She thought Elijah knew too, but he obviously underestimated them, just like she underestimated her professor. She expected something like this from Damon but not from Alaric. Elijah had explained to her that Damon was a troublemaker that would make their task more difficult than it needed to be. But she hadn't expected this. Elijah had made it clear he couldn't die nor could he be hurt. Mackenzie knew Damon was going to try something but she had no idea he actually had the means to succeed. Luckily for her, and for Elijah, he didn't have all the information.

"That's enough," Damon mumbled.

He moved, vampire speed, to where Mackenzie was. He seized her and trapped her in his arms, making sure to cover her mouth so that her screams wouldn't alert Jenna. But as he did so, Elijah gasped his way back to consciousness and got up from the ground, with the same supernatural speed.

He took a painful deep breath before he said in a threatening tone: "Let her go."

"How are you alive?" was Damon's only answer.

Elijah then proceeded to seize the vampire hunter by the hair and pushed his face on the dinner table.

"I said, let – her – go."

"You first," Damon said, eyeing Alaric.

Mackenzie was trying to free herself from the vampire's arms, but he was too strong, and the more she moved, the more it hurt. She decided, in a last attempt, to follow her instinct and trust that she could use her powers to defend herself. She put both of her hands on Damon's arm and decided to use the element of fire against him. It was the power she felt was the strongest at that moment, probably because of the candles burning in the room. The vampire screamed in pain as he let her go. The elemental fell to the ground. As soon as she was free, Elijah let go of Alaric and pushed Damon against the wall.

"I should kill all of you," he growled, pressing his arm against Damon's throat.

"What's stopping you?" the vampire choked.

"Elijah stop!" Mackenzie begged.

The Original vampire scowled as he looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm himself.

"You promised!" she reminded him.

"They broke the deal," he growled.

"Elena didn't! You made the deal with her!"

Elijah didn't reply but he didn't let go of Damon either.

"You promised," she repeated in a whisper as she took a step towards him.

He sighed, closed his eyes then took a deep breath, in an attempt to compose himself.

"Yeah, buddy… you promised," Damon managed to say despite the lack of air in his lungs.

Elijah was about to snap the vampire's neck when he saw Mackenzie collapse in the corner of his eye.

"Mackenzie!" Alaric called as he saw her pass out.

But the elemental didn't have time to reach the ground as Elijah caught her in time before he disappeared, running out of the house, vampire speed.

When Mackenzie woke up she knew she wasn't at home. She could tell exactly where she was and who was there. She could feel it.

"She's waking up," Luka said.

She was lying on the Martins' couch, in their apartment. She slowly sat up and brought a hand to her head as she did so.

"Does your head hurt?" she heard Elijah ask.

She nodded. He was sitting in the armchair in front of her, with the silver dagger in his hands.

"What happened?" she asked in a weak voice.

"You gave him too much of your magic, you passed out," Jonas replied.

"I did it," she breathed out. "I used my powers."

"Yes, you did," Elijah nodded. "But which one?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You brought him back to life," Jonas told her. "How did you do that?"

"I did what you said," she replied. "I used my magic. Just like you wanted me to do with the plant."

"No," Jonas shook his head with a severe look on his face, "you can revive a plant because you can control the element of nature. But Elijah? He was dead. The spell that turned him into a vampire a thousand years ago makes it so he can't stay dead, but he _was_ dead. An elemental cannot bring people back to life."

"So, you're saying she used witchcraft?" Elijah asked.

"I don't know what she used. I have no idea what she did or how she did it."

"Could it be the element of light?" Luka asked.

"The element of light is witchcraft," Jonas reminded him.

"Maybe not," Elijah said. "Maybe that's not all it is."

"What do you want me to say, Elijah? I'm not an expert in ultimates. Hell, I thought they were all dead. Whatever she did, she's the one who can tell you how she did it because I have no clue."

Elijah sighed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm… I'm okay."

"Come on, I will drive you home," he said as he got up. "Jonas, thank you for the help."

"Like I had a choice," the warlock mumbled.

Mackenzie stayed quiet in the car. She was thinking about what had happened at Damon's house and what Jonas said. It was easy enough for her to know what element she's using at a particular moment, she can feel it distinctively. As clear as the cold of the snow. As clear as the heat from a flame. But she couldn't tell what element she used to bring Elijah back. It was just magic. It wasn't an element like nature, or air. It was different. That was the part that wasn't written in any of Jonas' books simply because no one had ever taken the time to write about it. Ultimates were rare. Ultimates were extinct.

"Why did you help me earlier?"

Mackenzie looked up at Elijah, surprised by his question. Surprised she had no answer to give him.

"I… Why wouldn't I help you?"

"Why would you? It was the three of them against you."

"I didn't know what they were going to do with you. When Alaric put the dagger on the table I… I remembered what you said about… how the dagger needs to stay in your heart. I knew you were going to come back but… I didn't know when. I didn't know what they were going to do next."

"If you knew I was going to come back then why did you help me?" he asked again.

"Because…." she started to say. She thought long and hard about her answer and it was so obvious she almost couldn't see it. "Because I could."

Elijah didn't reply, he didn't know _what_ to reply. He stopped the car in front of Mackenzie's house and looked out the window looking for Robert's car.

"Looks like your stepfather isn't home yet," he said. "Because I died the compulsion went away. I'll come back in the morning to compel him again."

Mackenzie gulped. She was nervous to think she might encounter Robert before Elijah compelled him again.

"Okay… thank you for driving me back," she said. "Good night, Elijah."

"Good night, Mackenzie."

She closed the car door and walked to her house without turning back. She heard Elijah drive away and saw he was indeed gone when she closed her front door. She hadn't noticed the lights in the kitchen when she came in. If she had, she probably wouldn't have been surprised to see she wasn't alone in the house.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" she heard Robert growl behind her.

He pushed her hard and she let out a cry of pain when her head met with the wall. He seized her by the arm and turned her around to face her. Mackenzie blinked several times as she understood what was about to happen. As his fist approached her face dangerously fast, she closed her eyes and raised her hands in an attempt to protect herself.

Robert went flying to the other end of the room and she only realized what she had done when she opened her eyes, confused as to why her face wasn't already all broken and bloody.

She breathed out, still confused about what had just happened. She stared at the motionless body of her stepfather lying in the middle of the kitchen floor, at the foot of the counter. She stared for what seemed like hours, waiting for him to get back up, but he never did. It didn't hit her right away. It was only when she saw red liquid around Robert's head that she realized; he was dead.

"No," she let out in a shaky breath.

She took one step but then stopped, still afraid he would get up and finish what he had started. Finally, after a few seconds, she rushed towards him. She knelt near him and hesitantly approached her shaky right hand towards his throat, trying to find a pulse. She pressed her fingers on his vein, waiting to feel something, but she never did. She waited and waited, but she felt nothing. After what seemed like an eternity, she let out a cry of horror as tears fell down her cheeks. She felt herself falling backwards and did not realize she had pushed herself away from him.

"Oh my God," she breathed out in a whisper she could barely hear herself. "Oh my God…"

She covered her mouth with her shaky hands as if she wanted to stop herself from screaming. She started sobbing uncontrollably as her eyes couldn't move away from the dead man lying in front of her.

After a while of sitting there, on the cold kitchen floor in dead silence, she reached for her phone in her jacket's pocket and dialed the only number she could at that moment. The only person she could ask help from. The only one who could give her what she needed.

It didn't take him long to answer, in fact, it took her longer to speak up.

"Mackenzie?" she heard his voice coming from her iPhone.

She didn't reply right away. She felt like her voice was gone.

"Elijah…" she breathed out shakily.

"What happened?" he asked with a serious tone that didn't hide his concern.

She sniffed then let out another shaky breath.

"… Help me."


	8. Change of Plans

Elijah arrived very quickly. When he knocked on the door, however, no one answered. He could smell blood from outside and the thought of breaking in crossed his mind for about a second. However, he decided to try and see if the door wasn't already unlocked, which it was. As soon as he came in, he could hear someone whispering. It didn't take long for him to locate Mackenzie as she was the source of the incessant whispers. She didn't react when he closed the door. He wondered if she had heard him come in and if she was just ignoring him. He wasn't worried about the blood coming from her as he knew if it were, it would be a much stronger smell.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Mackenzie kept repeating like a broken record.

She was sitting on the kitchen floor, her knees were brought up to her chest with her arms around her legs. She was moving back and forth as she was sobbing and sniffing between whispers.

Elijah approached slowly as to not startle her. He didn't know she was perfectly aware of his presence. She had heard him knock and even before that she had felt his presence. The magic inside of an original vampire's body was very powerful and it was hard for an ultimate to miss.

The scene gradually revealed itself as he stepped forward. Seeing Robert's cold body lying before Mackenzie was barely a surprise. He imagined that Robert must have been quite confused as to what had happened to him and if he attacked Mackenzie it shouldn't surprise any of them by now that her powers would cause an accident like this.

"Mackenzie," he said as gently as he could, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

But the elemental didn't reply. She kept whispering, sobbing and sniffing as she stared at the motionless man in front of her. Elijah took another step before he squatted next to her.

"Hey."

For the first time since he arrived, Mackenzie reacted to him. She shook her head as she frowned, not moving her eyes away from her stepfather.

"I don't know what happened," she whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"I know," Elijah said as he placed his hand on her back. "It's okay."

"No," she whimpered. She sounded exhausted. "It's not okay."

"What happened?" he asked, even though he could guess.

Mackenzie closed her eyes and more tears fell down her cheeks. She sniffed, then took a shaky breath before she wiped her wet cheeks with her hand. She suddenly looked away from Robert before she got up. She couldn't see it anymore, she felt like she was going crazy. She didn't want to see him ever again.

Elijah stood up too but didn't follow her when she stepped away from the kitchen.

"I killed him," she answered his question. "I… He was… and then I was and then… I killed him," she repeated as she broke down in tears.

Elijah turned his head away from the young girl and towards the kitchen and looked down at the man lying at the foot of the countertop in a pool of his own blood. The vampire wasn't bothered one second by the tragic sight. He looked up and saw there was blood in the corner of the counter.

"What happened?" he asked again as he turned to face her.

That's when he saw the bruise on her forehead. It didn't look like it was from a punch.

"I was…" she sniffed. "He pushed me and… I hit the wall," she said as she pointed to the wall with her finger and brought her other hand to her aching forehead, "and then he forced me to turn around and…" she sniffed again, "he was going to punch me so… I raised my hands and that's when… that's when he… that's when I…"

"You pushed him away with your powers and his head hit the corner of the kitchen counter," he finished.

She nodded as she looked down. "Yes," she cried. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know," he said.

"What am I gonna do?" she whined as she finally looked up at him.

He could see shame, despair and fear on her face. He didn't know what to tell her. To him, this wasn't a big deal. He would have killed him himself if she had let him. But she didn't want him dead. She didn't feel like he deserved death after all he did to her. So what could he tell her now? Now that she had killed him herself.

"Nothing," Elijah replied.

She gave him a confused look before she wiped more tears off her face.

"I'm going to take care of it."

"Wh- how?"

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Go upstairs, take a shower, go to bed. This will be over in the morning."

Mackenzie frowned and gave him a puzzled and horrified look. She seemed angry.

"Over?" she repeated. "He's dead! He's not coming back, I killed him!" she cried. "It's not over, I did that, and I can't… I can't undo it!"

"That's okay," Elijah told her calmly. "It was an accident. You were defending yourself."

"But I…" she started to say, "I didn't mean to…"

"Mackenzie," he cut her off as he took a step forward.

She looked up at him with her big wet eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and locked his eyes in hers.

"This isn't your fault. This was an accident." _And it's not like he didn't deserve it_ , is what he wanted to say but he knew she didn't want to hear it. "Go to bed. You need sleep."

"What am I gonna do?"

"I will take care of it. Don't worry."

She didn't reply to him and she could see he was waiting for her to do as he asked. But she couldn't. She knew what he was saying was right; it was an accident, but she still felt it was her fault. She also knew what he wasn't saying, and what he was probably thinking; he deserved it. She knew Elijah wasn't bothered by it, by his death, by her killing another human being. But it did bother her, and the mere thought of doing it again, on accident or on purpose, was killing her.

"Elijah…" she said in a shaky whisper.

"What is it?" he replied as he gently wiped the tears off her right cheek with his thumb.

"I can't do it, I'm sorry…"

"Can't do what?"

"Klaus… your brother… I can't do it," she said as she shook her head, carefully looking at his face, waiting for him to get angry.

But he didn't. She was expecting his face to turn cold, but instead, his features softened.

"I don't want to kill anyone else," she cried. "I can't use my powers, I don't wanna use my powers…"

"It's okay," he cut her off as he brought her to his chest.

He placed his right hand behind her head and slid his other hand on her back, embracing her as she kept mumbling.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it, please don't make me do it…"

"It's okay," he repeated as he caressed her hair in an attempt to calm her. "I understand. Jonas will do it. It's okay."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Sorry this is so short but I lost the entire chapter and I have to rewrite it!**

 **I don't know when the next update will be, it might take a while!**


	9. The Mystery Chest

**I'm very sorry this took so long!**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Despite Elijah's best advice, Mackenzie didn't sleep that night. She did take a shower however, and he was gone when she stepped out of the bathroom. So was Robert's body. The blood was still on the kitchen floor and she walked back to her bedroom as she didn't want to see it. It reminded her of what she did. She was cold in her white shorts and shirt. Her wet hair didn't help either. She sat on her bed, feeling exhausted, and yet with no desire to sleep. When Elijah came back about two hours later, he found the elemental sitting there, in the dark and in complete silence. He wasn't surprised. He had expected it.

"Hey," he said, as gently as he could, but Mackenzie didn't react. "Get up. You need to pack."

She frowned as she looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"You can't stay here, it's not safe," he explained. "Any vampire can enter this place. Pack everything. Robert quit his job and left. He didn't tell you where he was going. You came back home and all his things were gone. Do you understand?"

It took Mackenzie a minute to respond. "I understand," she said as she nodded and stood up.

He gave her a minute to get dressed and then helped her pack. By sunrise, all of Robert's things were gone. Elijah didn't bother Mackenzie with the details but when he came back, he had a truck with him. He started loading all the boxes and, as he thought they were done, Mackenzie disappeared out of sight.

He returned to the house where he found the teenager in the attic, staring down at a big old dusty chest.

"We also need to empty this room."

"I know," she said so low a human wouldn't have heard her. "It was my mother's. For a moment I forgot it was there…"

When she stepped into the attic to continue packing, she found herself facing the old chest. It broke her heart. Whatever was inside must be all her mother's secrets. Everything she kept from her, including who she really was. She had always been curious to know what was inside, but now, she was scared.

"What's inside?"

"I don't know."

"You never opened it?"

"It's locked. I don't have the key."

"I don't need a key."

She looked up at him and understood the silent question. She nodded. He squatted down to break the lock. He made it look like it was the easiest thing in the world. And for him, it was.

"Do you want me to open it?" he asked as he turned to see her, unsure as to what her state of mind was. He too had an idea of what might be inside. She nodded again.

Inside were a lot of things. It was filled with pieces of paper which fell out as soon as Elijah opened it. Mackenzie knelt next to her friend and picked them up.

"Is that Latin?" she asked as she tried to read them.

"Yes."

They looked very old and had a brownish-yellow color. They looked very fragile and Elijah was careful when he too picked up one from the floor.

"This one is in German," he said. "Early New High German."

"Early New High German?"

"Yes, this dates back to the sixteenth century… ah," he said when he saw the date on the paper, "February 12, 1608. It's a Royal Pardon."

"What? For who? And from who?"

"One of your ancestors. From… Margo of Aragon?" he said, as if it didn't make any sense.

"Like… Catherine of Aragon?"

"Yes…"

"But… who's Margo?"

"I have no idea."

That in of itself was strange. Elijah knew his history. Especially because he lived through the last thousand years. He knew of Ferdinand II of Aragon, the King of Spain in the fifteenth century, and of his daughter, Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England. But he had never heard of Margo of Aragon. He was certain she wasn't a legitimate child of the royal family, and she was never in a position of power. Not in Spain, anyway.

"Margo of Aragon, by the power of Mother Nature and the powers invested in Her Majesty by the creatures of the Holy Forest, grants you, Tobias Julius Alemaund, immunity for all your past deeds, confessed or not confessed, and allows you to remain in the Holy Forest, until Her Majesty decides otherwise."

"The Holy Forest? What is that?"

"I don't know… This is an official document," he said as he looked at the royal wax seal at the bottom of the page. He couldn't recognize it. It had the form of an oak.

"Well… what about this one?" she asked as she handed him another paper.

"Margo of Aragon, by the power… declares you, Tobias Julius Alemaund, guilty of treason and sentences you to death," he translated, "this dates back to December 29, 1607."

"What did he do?"

"It doesn't say."

Elijah kept looking at the papers on the floor while Mackenzie took a look inside of the chest. There was an enormous book inside which she tried to take out but couldn't as it was too heavy. Elijah helped her. She didn't look at it right away. She put it next to her and kept looking inside the old chest. There were more books inside, none of them in English, though some might be in old English, but most of them were in Latin and in German.

"What is all that?" she wondered aloud.

"More official documents… Tobias was knighted in July 1608. He died in 1612 of old age."

"Why did my mom have these papers?"

"She probably got them from your father. This is your family history."

"But… why is it in German? Weren't the Aragons from Spain?"

"They're probably not related. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand reigned in the fifteenth century. This was a century later."

"This is… crazy."

"You're getting more and more interesting each day Ms. Alemaund," he grinned. "But as curious as I am to go through these, we need to go. We don't want people to see us leave. They'd ask questions."

"Oh… yeah, of course," she nodded.

As much as she wanted him to translate everything at that moment, she knew that there would be a better time for it, and she couldn't wait to discover more about Tobias Julius Alemaund and the Holy Forest.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Please let me know what you think!**

 **I don't know when I'll be posting chapter 10, please be patient!**


	10. Feared Creature

**Hey there,**

 **So sorry this took so long,**

 **I couldn't have it edited and I couldn't wait any longer to post it so apologies for the mistakes or the weird wording.**

 **Hope you like it!**

* * *

Elijah's house was old fashioned, big and made of stone and wood, but had recently been renovated. It was a two-story home, obviously made for a big family, with four bathrooms and five bedrooms. Elijah explained to Mackenzie how he "convinced" the owners to take a trip around the world and leave him their house for as long as he needed it. Mackenzie wasn't even surprised anymore, though she was relieved to hear he hadn't killed them and buried them in their backyard. Only two bedrooms upstairs had a bathroom attached to it, and Elijah already occupied the biggest one. When they arrived very late on that Sunday night, or very early on that Monday morning, the original vampire had sent the young elemental in her new room, with a few boxes containing clothes and other necessary items, and a promise of going through her mother's chest in the morning, after she had a good "night" of sleep. Elijah was tired himself and he could only imagine how exhausted the mortal girl was. After she reluctantly made her way to her new bed and fell asleep faster than she thought she would, Elijah finally allowed himself to do the same.

The sun was already high in the sky when Mackenzie woke up in the unfamiliar bed. The clock on the nightstand indicated the time with big red digits: 3:48PM. She turned around in the bed, rubbed her eyes then yawned as she ran a hand through her messy and greasy hair. She needed a shower. She felt defeated, despite having slept fairly well. She felt dirty, and not just because of her sticky hair. She sighed. She looked around the room, wondering who it belonged to, hoping whoever she was who had plastered posters of the Jonas Brothers all over her walls was having fun on her trip around the world. She looked at the time again, feeling like she had forgotten something, like she should be doing something else at that moment. Of course, she had missed school, but that wasn't it. She had woken up late in the day and hadn't got up early to make breakfast for Robert, or for anyone. She didn't feel worried or nervous or scared. Maybe she should be. After all, there was a thousand-year-old vampire at the end of the hallway. But somehow, he wasn't scarier than Robert. Somehow, she felt safe with him even though she had met him about a week ago and he had done his fair share of scary things. Removing the head of her kidnapper being one of them. Damn, had her life been so complicated ever since.

She eventually got up with the intention of taking a shower. She was glad to see all she needed was in one of the boxes in her room or already in the bathroom. After a long and necessary shower, she got dressed, picking up a wrinkled dark purple shirt and a pair of blue jeans from a box, and walked out of the room. She found herself in a cold and dark hallway and shivered at the change of temperature. She brought her arms against her chest and rubbed them as she made her way to the stairs. They lead to the living room where she expected to find Elijah. When she didn't see him, she noticed the smell of food coming from the kitchen and followed it. The kitchen was big. Huge even. No one needed a kitchen that big. It was clean, which it had to be considering how white it was. There was an isle in the middle of the room where Elijah was sitting, with a newspaper in his hands. He had his back turned to her but she had no doubt he knew she was there. The tea in front of him was still hot and there were two cups. A plate of pancakes was also waiting for her and invited her to sit next to him.

"Good afternoon," he said with a calm voice. "How are you feeling?" he asked, finally turning his head to look at her.

She smiled shyly then nodded before walking up to him.

"I'm fine," she replied in a whisper. She said it because it was true though she wondered if she should be feeling differently. After all, she had just killed a man.

"Good," Elijah nodded too. "Please eat, you must be starving."

"You didn't have to cook for me," she told him timidly as a way to thank him.

"I made some for myself, it's only normal I should make some for you," he smiled. "How are you feeling?" he asked again, which made her frown.

"… fine…" she repeated.

"I meant, about the events of last night."

A humorless chuckle escaped her, which surprised both of them.

"Which part? The one when you died or the part when I killed my stepfather?"

"Both, I suppose."

She didn't reply this time. She cut a piece of pancake with her fork and ate it.

"I should feel bad… but I don't," she admitted, and he was surprised not to hear guilt in her voice. "It's as you said. He had it coming…"

"Indeed…" he agreed suspiciously.

"Does that make me a bad person?" she asked, looking up at him.

He looked at her in silence for a few seconds before he replied:

"You're asking me?" he said with humor.

Mackenzie frowned, then smiled sadly before turning her attention back to the plate of pancakes.

"You're in a dangerous position," he spoke up again which made her look back up at him. "Being an elemental has always been dangerous, being an ultimate… doesn't make it easier. I know you don't want to hear it, but I need to say it…" he paused and he could see in her eyes she knew what he was going to say next, "Robert will not be your only victim. But I don't doubt your next one will deserve it just like he did."

"I don't want to kill anyone else."

"I know. But you will. Remember the position you are in. It's killed or be killed. You have to look out for yourself. Don't trust anyone, _anyone_ , with your secret. Do you understand?"

Mackenzie breathed out, annoyed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to be prepared. To be ready to defend yourself. People will come for you, for your powers, for the books in that chest. I know you said you don't want to kill Klaus, and I won't make you. I shouldn't have asked this of you in the first place. But you still need to control your powers. To learn how to use your magic. Jonas can help you. If you'll let him."

Mackenzie stared at him in silence. She wondered where all of this was coming from.

"Why do you care?" she asked. She didn't sound angry or annoyed. She was genuinely curious.

She could tell by the look on his face he didn't know how to answer that question.

"Why do you care if I live or die? Why am I here, Elijah?"

Elijah closed the newspaper he was sill holding and put it down on the right of the counter, turning his chair on the left, entirely facing the elemental now. Mackenzie straightened up, nervous she had offended him.

"You called me. You asked for my help."

"And why did you help me?"

Elijah opened his mouth then closed it, not knowing what to answer.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Why would you? I mean…" she sighed, frustrated, "you probably have better things to do than babysit an eighteen-year-old hum- elemental or whatever… Now that I'm not helping you anymore, why are you helping me?"

Elijah didn't answer right away. He was asking himself the same question.

"I don't know."

That was unexpected and they were both surprised. Mackenzie didn't want to sound ungrateful but in one night she had brought a vampire back to life, killed a human man and moved out of her house. She felt different, she felt annoyed, angry, awful, sad, lost, relieved, she felt like she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. A man had died and it was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. She had killed a man and she didn't feel as bad as she thought she should. She wondered if that was how Elijah had felt about killing Trevor. She saw no trace of guilt, sadness or remorse. He didn't even flinch when Rose started crying. It had been a little over a week and so many things had happened it felt like an eternity. It had been a little over a week and _he_ out of all people, Elena, Stefan, Bonnie… was her only friend. The only person she could count on. But could she really?

"I'm not afraid of you," she admitted, and she could see surprise on his face. "And I don't know why either."

"I'm not going to harm you."

"That's what you say. And there's a voice inside my head that's screaming at me not to believe you. You know what I see at night? What my nightmares are about? Trevor's head rolling to my feet…" she said with a shaky voice, "I don't know who you are. Are you the kind of person who kills people for no reason or are you the kind of person who helps people like me for no reason?"

"What if I'm both?" he cut her off. She couldn't answer. "And I didn't kill Trevor for no reason. He betrayed me."

"That was centuries ago and you promised him he'd be safe."

"I promised Rose…"

"She trusted you!" she shouted, startling herself.

Elijah took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, though he wasn't thinking of hurting her in anyway, he just wanted to keep his voice steady.

"I have lived a thousand years, as you know. My brother and I are Originals. We are the most feared creatures on the planet. I didn't get that reputation by letting traitors live."

"And why do you need to be feared? You can't be killed so why do you care?"

Elijah clenched his jaw.

"I don't know why I care. I don't feel bad about Trevor or Rose. They betrayed me. Things would have gone extremely differently if Katerina hadn't escaped that night… I do feel bad about doing it in front of you." Mackenzie frowned. "You are new to this world. There are things you don't understand yet, things you will get used to. People die. It happens. More than you realize, but you're starting to realize it. Damon Salvatore and Alaric Saltzman tried to kill me Saturday night, despite our agreement. It's not about being right or wrong, feared or loved. It's about surviving. Sometimes you need to use fear, sometimes you don't. Most of the time, I admit, fear comes handy. But I can't be killed, Mackenzie. Nothing can kill me. Not the sun, not vervain, no weapon on this planet can destroy me. So, I will be feared. Always. That's not a path I chose, that's the path I was put on. My siblings and I… when we became vampires, we became monsters. We lost our parents, and centuries later, I lost my siblings, one after the other. My brother took them away from me. So, I'm going to kill him. Because what else am I supposed to do?"

Mackenzie was speechless. She could see how vulnerable he was at that moment, something she never thought she would see, something she would never have imagined. She felt bad for judging him. She had no idea who he was, what he had done. Life isn't white or black, she understood now, _it's not about being right or wrong_. It was like a veil had lifted. Him killing his brother was her killing her stepfather. It was revenge. It was protection. It was necessary. It was _surviving_.

She got up from the chair and put her arms around him, hugging him. He didn't expect it but hugged her back almost instantly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't apologize," he replied. "You're not wrong."


	11. Dealt With

**A/N: so sorry for how long this took. I apologize for the mistakes in this, I didn't have it edited, I hope you can still enjoy it!**

* * *

Going through the enormous book would have given Elijah a headache if he could have any. Mackenzie wasn't so lucky. The dozens of languages that the grimoire contained made her feel like she would never discover all of its secrets. Fortunately, there were pictures on most pages, mostly of creatures such as fairies, werewolves, mermaids, trolls and other weird and sometimes creepy monsters. Elijah was going through the pages at a rapid pace, reading some of it and giving a rough translation to Mackenzie. He chose passages he deemed important such as the one about mermaids and fairies being real or having been real in the past. It was impossible to tell if it were true or not, and in his ten centuries of life he had never met or even heard of such creatures walking this earth, so he highly doubted it. The elemental was fascinated. If the book were to be believed, elementals were descended from mermaids, fairies and other creatures like phoenixes and angels. They were their evolution, of sorts. "More like a downgrade," Mackenzie mumbled. According to the book, the creatures were being hunted by humans and started hiding their wings and tails, making themselves look human so they would be safe from persecution. This led to the total disappearance of the limbs as their children were born without them and looked like other humans.

The book was also a kind of family tree. They were biographies and short stories about many members of the Alemaund family as well as the Fays', the Dalimores', the Hayes' and the Engelbrechts'. Jonas had said the truth. They seemed to be the most important families among elementals. The Fays were mostly elementals of nature, the Dalimores of water, the Hayes of fire and the Engelbrechts of air. The Alemaunds were the first family to have one of them being able to control more than one element. It was a complete surprise but a good one as apparently as soon as it happened, most elementals started to become overly confident. They thought they would be able to finally defend themselves against witches and humans. But keeping their existence a secret was an outmost priority. The strong smell of their blood attracted werewolves and vampires which were sometimes used by witches to uncover villages of elementals and destroy them. It was some kind of law that most communities of elementals shared. "It worked rather well," Elijah commented. By the looks of it, the grimoire had seen many owners who had added more and more pages through the generations. But Elijah and Mackenzie were mostly interested in the story of Avery Alemaund. Unfortunately, even after over 6 hours of thorough research, they still hadn't found anything. They had noticed, however, that a few pages were missing around the middle of the grimoire and they wondered what they could possibly have been about. "What Avery did probably brought outrage within the community. They might have wanted to erase any trace of it, especially if they hated witches as much as witches hated them. They probably weren't too happy about one of their own becoming a witch," Elijah said.

It was around midnight when they decided to put the grimoire down. Even after hours of research, they still hadn't gone through half of it, but they had a general idea of what they would find in the next few days. Spells, biographies, art, maps and other secrets that Elijah was certain all of Mackenzie's ancestors would turn around in their grave if they knew a vampire was discovering them.

But for now, they didn't really have time for it. They had to meet Elena and Stefan at the Grill at noon to renegotiate the deal. Something Mackenzie was very nervous about. She was afraid Elijah wouldn't agree to it, and she was afraid Damon would be there.

"Don't worry," Elijah told her in the car as he was driving them to the bar. "They're the ones who insisted in meeting in public. They're more afraid of us than we are of them," he said which made her chuckle.

"' _Us'_ ," she repeated, "don't you mean ' _you'_?"

He smiled. "Well, Damon saw what you were capable of, I'm sure he told his brother."

"I'm pretty sure they're not afraid of me. I'm smaller than Elena and even she's scarier than me. And she's human."

The vampire laughed. "You're afraid of Elena?"

"No," she sounded offended, "I'm just saying… that's how _not_ scary I am."

"Well if they knew what you were, they'd be scared."

"Oh really? Tell me, are you scared of me?"

Elijah grinned.

"See? Not scary."

"Why would I be scared of you? We're friends, aren't we?"

Mackenzie smiled gently. "So, the question isn't 'are you scared of me', it's 'am I scary'?"

"You are an ultimate. That sounds rather scary, don't you think?"

"Yeah, exactly, even _I_ am scared of what I am. I'm a little chicken."

Elijah laughed loudly.

"You didn't act like 'a little chicken' Saturday night," he reminded her.

"… true..."

"When your life is on the line, that's when you really learn about yourself."

"With great power comes great responsibility."

"Are you really quoting Spiderman to me?"

"Are you really quoting Fast and Furious to me?"

"What?" he gave her a funny look.

"What you said, it's… never mind," she chuckled.

When they stepped inside the Mystic Grill, Stefan and Elena were already there. They were sitting at the table at the far-right corner, where they would get some privacy. Elena shot a worried look at Mackenzie and Stefan moved closer to the doppelganger when he saw Elijah approach.

"Ms. Gilbert," Elijah greeted as he unbuttoned his vest.

"Elijah," she nodded. "Thank you for coming."

"We just want to apologize for Saturday night. Elena had no idea what Damon was plan…"

"Did you?" he cut him off, "know what your brother was planning?"

There were a few seconds of silence before he nodded. "Yes."

His answer only surprised Mackenzie. Elena was obviously ashamed of her boyfriend's behavior.

"It will not happen again," Elena said with a firm voice.

"Considering I have the dagger now," Elijah said, "I'm certain it won't."

"We just want to make sure nothing has changed. That we still have a deal," Stefan asked.

"Oh, I think that a lot has changed, Stefan. Let's renegotiate the terms, shall we?"

"So… what are you going to do?" Mackenzie asked Elijah as she closed the car door. The vampire put his seatbelt on in silence and placed his hands on the wheel but didn't start the car.

"It seemed reasonable."

"But…?"

"But what?"

"Well you didn't take it so… there must be a 'but'…"

"Damon."

"Damon is the 'but'," Mackenzie nodded.

"He's a problem. Even if Elena and Stefan agree to the deal, Damon will never."

"Maybe Stefan will convince him?"

"Well he's going to have to, if he wants me to take the deal."

Elijah never heard back from Stefan. They went back to his house and spent the rest of the day, and the day after that, exploring new pages of the grimoire. He wasn't worried, neither was Mackenzie. They figured it would take a few days to convince Damon.

Mackenzie was lying on the ground, looking at the ceiling, while Elijah was sitting on the couch next to her, translating an extract of the biography of Cornelius Fay, one of the most powerful elementals of nature to ever exist.

"It doesn't say how he died?"

"It's actually quite odd. It implies he never did."

"What? He's still alive?"

"It says he left never to return."

"It was over 500 years ago, he's dead."

"I think you're right," he said as he closed the book and put it down on the couch.

"What are you gonna do if they don't agree to the deal?" she asked suddenly.

Elijah was taken by surprise and didn't answer right away.

"Well…" he sighed, "I need to find the burial ground soon. Jonas will need it to fight Klaus."

"Unless I help you…"

Elijah frowned. "You don't want to help."

"I might not have a choice. If they don't give you the location, Jonas won't be strong enough to defeat Klaus."

"You're not strong enough to defeat Klaus. You might have enough powers, but you don't know how to use them. It's too dangerous."

"But you're gonna let Jonas do it."

"Jonas knows what he's getting himself into. He wants to do it, for his daughter, and he's been a warlock he's entire life. He knows how to use his powers."

"So, what are you going to do if they don't tell you where it is?"

"I'll make them tell me," he answered as he got up.

She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him walk away.

"They're gonna tell you where it is."

"How do you know that?" he asked as he turned around.

"Because they want to help Elena. They won't have a better plan. They have to agree to the deal."

Elijah was about to reply but the second he opened his mouth, his phone rang. They looked at each other, surprised and curious.

Elijah picked up. "Stefan."

Mackenzie stood up and made her way towards him.

"I understand. I will think about it. We will meet you tomorrow."

"What did he say?" she asked as he hang up.

"They will only tell us where the burial ground is if we agree to let Bonnie take the powers instead of Jonas."

"Well…" Mackenzie frowned, "they can't do that. Jonas has the spell."

"Yes. We give them the spell, they give us the location. That's the deal."

"Jonas will never agree to that."

"I'll just have to convince him."

Mackenzie didn't sleep well. She hadn't for a while. Elijah could see how tired she was. She yawned and rubbed her eyes several times in the car as he was driving to Jonas' apartment.

"Did you spend the night going through the chest again?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"I'll ask Jonas to help you with your insomnia."

"Can he help with the nightmares, too?" she asked dryly. Elijah raised an eyebrow at her. She never talked to him that way. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude."

It started to rain as soon as he stopped the car. They heard thunder as they rushed inside the building.

"You're not doing that, are you?" he chuckled.

"You think I can control the weather?" she grinned back.

"I think the list of things you cannot do is very short."

"Oh, I'd like to see that list," she laughed.

The weather only worsened as they walked up the stairs.

"They're not here," Mackenzie said before Elijah even had the chance to knock on the door. She couldn't feel their magic, there was nobody home.

Elijah froze.

"What it is?" she frowned as she saw the worried look on his face.

"Stay here," he instructed her.

He had broken the door and stepped inside the apartment before she had the chance to ask "what's wrong?".

Of course, she didn't listen to him. She followed him, somewhat instinctively, as if "stay here" didn't mean "don't move" but was something people said just in case something was wrong.

But she should have listened.

Because something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

She couldn't move pass the threshold. As if there were an invisible force stopping her from moving. She found herself stuck in the doorway, feeling paralyzed as she was faced with the most horrifying scene. Jonas and Luka, or what used to be Jonas and Luka, lying there, on the ground, missing one or both of their legs and arms, dropped there, on the floor covered in their own blood. It was a sight from a horror movie. Everything was covered in blood; the walls, the furniture, the windows… This room where she had spent hours looked nothing like it used to. She didn't recognize it, but she will never forget it.

A high pitch cry escaped her. She jumped when she felt a hand cover her mouth. Elijah quickly turned her around and brought her to his chest, holding her tight so she couldn't look, so she could feel safe. He held her shaking body for a while, listened to her muffled cries, as he stroked her hair and gently whispered that everything was going to be okay.


	12. Gone Creature

**I'm very sorry this took so long, you have no idea how many times I've tried to write this chapter, how many versions of this there were. I will try to upload the next chapter very soon, but as always, I make no promises.**

 **I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

The screams echoing in the hallways were nothing unusual anymore. It had started on the night of Jonas and Luka's murder and had continued well after that. Even after Elijah and the Salvatores had set their differences aside and allied to defeat Klaus, even after Bonnie got the powers from the burial ground, even after Elena had insisted on having lunch with Mackenzie every single day of the school week. The nightmares were there and they weren't going away. She knew that. And so did he.

"Mackenzie," he whispered as he sat down on the edge of her bed, placing a hand on her cheek.

She woke up with a start as he stroke a thumb on her wet face.

"It's okay," he said like he always did, "you're okay."

She sniffed, then took a deep breath then sniffed again, before she slowly sat up.

"Sorry," she said like she always did, as she wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand.

It had been almost two weeks and nothing had helped. Practicing her magic didn't work. Spending time with the girls, making friends with them, didn't work. Bonnie's teas didn't work. Helping Caroline with the dance didn't work, not that Mackenzie had ever thought it would.

The first week, she had asked him to stay with her and he had never refused. But the second week, she hadn't needed to ask anymore. He laid down next to her without a word and she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. She usually slept perfectly after that.

"Are you ready for the dance tomorrow?" he made her laugh.

"You keep asking like you want to go," she joked back.

"What is it again?"

"A 60's dance."

"I'd rather chase down Katerina."

"Still no word from her?"

"No," he shook his head, "my guess is Klaus has her. Damon and Stefan said they haven't seen her since…"

"Since the Martins…"

"Mmh," he nodded.

"Do you think she's dead?"

"No. Not Klaus' style. Death would be… too easy for her, for what she did."

Mackenzie shivered. "Let's just… sleep."

"Of course, my apologies."

"G'night 'lijah," she mumbled with a yawn.

"Good night Mackenzie."

* * *

It made Elijah nervous to leave Mackenzie alone. He didn't really know why. But after what happened to the Martins, he feared that Klaus' next target would be the elemental. Not because she was a threat, but because she would be an easy way to hurt him. So, he drove her to school in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon. He couldn't take the risk of leaving her alone. Especially now that the full moon was in two days.

"What are you going to do this morning?" Mackenzie asked as he stopped the car.

"I'm going to read more about the Holy Forest. The documents we found yesterday are going to be easy to translate."

"Your morning sounds as exciting as mine," she chuckled. "Actually, it sounds more exciting than mine," she sighed once she saw Elena and Caroline waving at her at the other end of the parking lot.

"I thought you got along with them?"

"I do," she shrugged. "But I can already hear them trying to get me to go to the dance tonight. Caroline keeps insisting on finding me a date no matter how many times I say no… I just… I don't understand how they can even think about it."

"Would you rather they stay locked inside their home waiting for Klaus to find them?"

"I…" she shook her head. "I don't know… I don't know if that makes them brave or…"

"Or?" he raised an eyebrow.

She chuckled. "Nothing. I'm gonna be late. See you later."

She could feel the two pair of eyes on her as she exited the car. She could already hear Caroline complain about how she didn't trust him and how she shouldn't trust him either. Mackenzie had learnt to ignore her.

Alaric was finally back from his two-week hiatus. Elena had started to worry but she understood he needed time after seeing Isobel two weeks earlier. He hadn't even tried to contact Jenna. She wondered what her birth mother had told him. Could it have been more upsetting than seeing her kill herself?

Alaric was obviously going through something. He didn't even bother to try teaching his class, he just rambled about the 60's instead. Mackenzie thought there was something odd about him, but she couldn't place it. She wondered where the magic she sensed on him was coming from. Maybe he had been taking some of Bonnie's teas? She couldn't figure it out.

It bothered her not to be able to mention it at lunch. Elena and Bonnie saw something was wrong, but she didn't know what to tell them. Luckily, they were preoccupied with other things.

"What did you tell Jeremy for him to run off this way?" Elena asked.

"I told him he had to dress up tonight."

The doppelganger laughed. "That would do it."

"You're still not coming tonight, Mack?"

"I don't want to dress up either," she tried to joke.

"Hey, Elena, there you are," a girl from their history class, whose name Mackenzie couldn't remember, interrupted them. "This is gonna sound super freaky but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight?"

Elena looked both surprised and uncomfortable, she looked at Bonnie who frowned and said: "Tell him she has a boyfriend."

"You could at least meet him," she insisted, "he'll be at the dance tonight, look for him. His name is Klaus."

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Elena asked.

"His name is Klaus. I know the name's stupid but I swear he's hot!"

Mackenzie drew a shaky breath as she took out her phone and texted Elijah.

"We gotta go," Elena said, and they almost ran out of the cafeteria.

When they got to the Salvatores' house, Elijah was already there, waiting in the living room with Stefan and Damon. She immediately went his way and stayed by his side.

"What happened?" Stefan asked.

Elena explained everything which he already knew. There wasn't much to say. Klaus was here. Klaus would be at the dance. They needed a plan and they needed it now.

"So we go to the dance, we find him," Damon said like it was going to be that easy.

"Really?" Stefan stopped him, "he could be anywhere at any time, he compelled somebody at school."

A knock on the front door was followed by Alaric's entrance.

"There you are," Damon welcomed him.

"Sorry I'm late..." he stepped toward the group but stopped at the sight of Elijah.

"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperon for the dance tonight," Damon cut him off. "Klaus made his first move," he said like it was a game.

Alaric didn't reply nor look away from the Original. Mackenzie frowned, wondering what was wrong.

"Okay," Elena breathed out, "so we find him and then what? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me," Bonnie said, "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

The elemental looked up at her roommate who nodded. "Yes. Ms. Bennett is our only chance at killing Klaus."

"That's not gonna be that easy," Alaric laughed quietly, "I mean, he's the biggest baddest vampire around."

"Alaric has a point I mean," Damon started, "what if he…" he launched himself at the witch who, by a simple wave of a hand, sent him fly away to the other end of the room.

"Well, I was impressed," Stefan nodded.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him. I know I can."

"So, Mackenzie," Elijah said, "looks like we're going to the dance after all."

"You're going…?" Alaric asked with a weird look on his face, his finger moving from the girl to the vampire.

"Well, I'm the only one here who knows what Klaus looks like. Besides, I believe you will need the reinforcement."

"Why take Mackenzie? It's too dangerous," Elena said.

"I'm not a student, Ms. Gilbert, Mackenzie is my way in."

"She's your date," Alaric said with what looked like amusement on his face.

Mackenzie frowned. If she had to go to this dance, and especially if Klaus was going to be there, she would feel safer with Elijah there.

"I guess she is," the vampire nodded and all of them could feel the discomfort settling in the room.

* * *

"I hate this."

"You look great, Ms. Alemaund."

"I look ridiculous!"

"You look beautiful," Elijah insisted.

Mackenzie blushed at the compliment and blushed even more at the thought he could see it.

"Well, you look…" she paused, looked at him, at his dark blue suit with his matching tie, looking for something to say, "you look like you."

Elijah chuckled. "You're terrible at compliments, Mackenzie. Both at receiving them and at giving them."

She shrugged before turning around to look herself at the mirror one more time. She had picked up the dress from Caroline's. A white short sleeved dress with red cherries all over it. She had red lips and pink cheeks. Her hair was brought up in a ponytail and she was wearing a red headband. The short heels of her white shoes made her stand a little bit taller, but just a little bit.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'd rather be chasing after Katherine too," she said which made him laugh.

He took her hand and pulled her away from the mirror. "It's going to be okay."

She could tell he was worried. She knew how difficult it was for him. After all, if everything went right tonight, his brother would be dead before morning.

* * *

Everybody was staring at them. Nobody knew Elijah and they all stared at Mackenzie's date like he was an alien.

"Do you see anything?" she whispered.

"A bunch of gossiping teenagers."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant. Don't worry, I'll tell you as soon as I see him."

"Do you see Stefan and Elena?"

"They're dancing over there."

"Good evening!" the same girl from lunch stepped on the stage and seized the mic. "We have a special shout out tonight. This is for Elena. From Klaus."

"Well he's definitely here," Mackenzie mumbled, growing more and more nervous. Elijah squeezed her hand.

"You'll be fine. Remember, stay by my side."

"If you think I'm going anywhere without you you're crazy."

"Would you care to dance?" he asked, holding a hand out to her.

She chuckled. "You don't want me to dance with you, unless you enjoy people stepping on your feet."

"I'll take the risk," he insisted with a smile, taking her hand and dragging her to the dance floor. He put his right hand on her waist and took her other hand in his. She rested her free hand on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" she breathed out.

"Blending in. Following Ms. Bennett's lead," he said, gesturing towards Bonnie and Jeremy who were dancing near them. Bonnie gave a weird look to Mackenzie as she saw her in the arms of the Original. She ignored it and focused on her feet. The last thing she wanted to do was step on his.

"Thank you," she said after a few minutes of dancing in silence.

He raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

"For helping me. I know I'm difficult… with the nightmares and… I'm just very grateful."

He didn't reply right away, which made her look up at him.

"I enjoyed the last few weeks with you. I'm not used to… company. To having a friend. Not in the recent years at least."

"Me neither. It was nice."

"'Was'? Now you make it sound like something bad is going to happen."

"I don't know… I have a bad feeling. It's silly."

"It's not silly at all. Fear is good. Fear means you have something to lose."

"I don't want to lose you," she said, surprising herself and him.

"I don't want to lose you either, Ms. Alemaund." After all, she was all he had.

She laughed.

"Are you mocking me now?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I just… When we met… I never thought… I never thought I'd be glad to have met you."

"Ah," he nodded. "I get that a lot."

She laughed again. But then he lost his smile and started to look around and she started to get worried.

"What's wrong?"

"They're gone."

"Who's gone?"

"All of them. Bonnie, Damon, Elena… I don't see them."

Mackenzie looked around but she couldn't find them either.

"Come on."

When they reached the hallway, it was empty. They hurried down it then heard glass break. They ran towards the sound and found Alaric inside the trophy shelf. Bonnie and Elena at the other side of the hallway.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked.

"It's Klaus, he's inside Alaric's body!" Elena told them.

Alaric, or Klaus, started to laugh.

"Hi big brother. Surprised to see me?"

Elijah picked up Alaric with supernatural strength and speed and pinned him against the wall. His brother only laughed.

"By all means, brother. If you destroy this body, I'll just get a new one."

"Don't!" Elena shouted.

So that's what Mackenzie was sensing from him. It wasn't Alaric but Klaus all along. She should have mentioned it. She could have stopped this.

"I see you made a new friend," Klaus kept laughing.

"Elijah?" Mackenzie called with a quiet voice.

The vampire turned his head and saw Mackenzie looking down at her hands. She was bleeding. From her eyes, her nose, her ears.

"What are you doing?" he growled, pushing his brother harder against the wall.

"Me? Nothing," he grinned.

"Let her go!" he heard Elena shout.

When he turned around, Mackenzie was in the arms of an unknown man, someone Elijah guessed was a witch, responsible for putting Klaus inside the history professor's body and for Mackenzie's pain. The elemental passed out and fell in the hands of Klaus' minion.

"Ms. Bennett," Elijah warned.

Bonnie didn't know what to do. She tried to send the warlock away like she had with Damon earlier that day, but before she had the chance to do anything, he had vanished, and Mackenzie was gone with him.

"Where are they?" Elijah snarled.

Klaus only laughed. "Don't worry. I won't harm her. As long as you don't harm me. Oh, and, I think you have something of mine. The moon stone? Rings any bell?"

"I'll kill you if you hurt her."

"That's what I'm counting on. You want her back safely? You know what to do. Or should I say, what _not_ to do."

Klaus waited for his brother to let go of him. He could see the dilemma in his eyes.

"I must say I was disappointed to hear you were plotting my death, brother."

"You killed them," Elijah said so low it almost scared Klaus, "our siblings. Our blood. Our family. You deserve to die."

Klaus laughed again. "Are you willing to risk your little witch's life?"

The need for revenge was almost too big. Who was Mackenzie to him? He had known her for a month, she wasn't worth it. His siblings were. Klaus deserved to die for what he did. And yet, to Mackenzie, he was a savior. A friend. Someone she trusted. Someone he promised to protect, to keep safe.

Elijah's grip only became tighter as Klaus waited for his response. Eventually, he let go.

"When will you learn, Elijah? Love… is a weakness."

Elijah threw a punch so fast and so hard Elena, Bonnie and even Klaus heard it before they saw it. The girls gasped, thinking for a second that Klaus/Alaric were dead. But all Elijah did was punch a hole inside the wall.

"I'll stay in touch," Klaus said, dismissing his brother. Elijah hesitated, looked at Bonnie and Elena for a few seconds, before he vanished.

"Now," Klaus sighed as he turned his attention back to the Bennett witch. "Where were we?"


	13. Trapped Creature

Elijah was losing his mind. It was unlike him to be this reckless. He thought he had learnt his lesson. How many times had Klaus killed someone he cared about just to spite him? Too many times for him to make that mistake again. But Elijah had been too confident. He had been so focused on making a plan to kill his brother that he hadn't imagined he'd fail. And now, Mackenzie was paying the price.

Elena was mad. She was mad at Damon for making her believe Bonnie was dead and she was mad at herself for putting Makenzie in danger. She wondered if Klaus could be trusted to keep his word.

"Do you think he told the truth?" she asked Elijah once they were back in the Salvatores' living room. "Do you think he'll give us Mackenzie back once he has the moon stone?"

"I don't know," he replied. "He won't give her back until the sacrifice is done."

"Can we go over the plan again?" Damon said, "Because I'm not letting Elena get sacrificed, I don't care about your 500-year-old potion. It's not happening."

"It's not your decision to make, Damon," Elena reminded him. "It is happening. We cooperate so that Klaus doesn't kill any of you. Bonnie and Elijah will kill him during the ritual. That's the plan and I don't care if you don't like it."

"What about John's ring?"

"Ms. Gilbert is a doppelganger, she's not human. Chances are the ring won't work."

"Well, I'll take those odds over your magical witch potion with no expiration date."

"What about Mackenzie?" Elena asked, ignoring him. "If we fail to kill Klaus… he'll kill her."

"Likely," Elijah nodded. "Which is why we won't fail."

* * *

Mackenzie woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was alone but the bedroom door was open, and she could hear people talking. One of them sounded like Elena but didn't feel like Elena at all. She was a vampire, Mackenzie knew it. There were two other people with her. One of them was very powerful.

She sat up slowly, feeling dizzy, and gasped when she saw the blood on her dress. That's when she remembered. It was her blood. She'd been taken by Klaus. Fear seized her.

"Well, well, well," Alaric said as he entered the bedroom. "Look who's awake."

"Klaus," she breathed out.

"Indeed," he smiled but there was nothing friendly about his demeanor. "Mackenzie, is it? I have to say," he chuckled, "I was surprised to see you with my brother. I wonder what he sees in you."

Mackenzie ignored the insult. It was the least of her problems.

"Although, he always had a soft spot for witches."

Mackenzie felt like she was back in that dirty house with Elena, Rose and Trevor. Except this time, she wasn't afraid of Elijah. This time, she hoped he'd come save her.

"What do you want?" she asked in a whisper. She couldn't talk any louder.

"To break the curse," he shrugged. "Oh, you mean, from you? Nothing. You are going to help me get the final ingredient to help me break it. I told my brother I'd exchange you against the moon stone. Tell me, do you think he'll do it?"

She frowned. Did she think he'll do it? She hoped he would. But she also knew how badly Elijah wanted Klaus dead. And if he gave him the stone, it meant he would be able to do the sacrifice, which meant Elena would die. Unless Elijah gave her the potion he mentioned. Would he? Would he risk it all for her? She wished she knew.

"I don't know," she whispered so low Klaus almost didn't hear her in this human body.

"Well, I do know my brother. And I know he will. He's probably beating himself up right now for putting you in danger. That is, if he cares, of course."

Mackenzie frowned. Klaus seemed to enjoy this mental game. She tried not to let it get to her but failed.

"You know what I find interesting? My friend Maddox here, he's a very powerful witch you see, and he tells me he's never met someone as powerful as you," he finished as he took a step forward, making Mackenzie move back instinctively, but her back met with the wall. "Now how can you be so powerful and yet so weak?"

Now she had to be smart. Of course, she couldn't tell him the truth, but even if she told him she was just a witch he'd kill her if he thought for even one second she was powerful enough to take him down the way Bonnie tried to.

"I only learnt recently I was a witch. I don't know how to use magic."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Did my brother tell you that?"

"I… I couldn't be compelled. That's how I learnt I wasn't human."

"Elijah tried to compel you?"

"No. A vampire. She's dead now."

"Dead, uh?"

"Killed by a werewolf."

Klaus laughed. "This town sounds very exciting," he said before turning around and gesturing her to follow him.

She hesitated, she didn't want to go anywhere with him.

"You can either follow me or I can drag you, your choice," he called from the other room.

She followed. In the living room of what she assumed was her history professor's apartment, stood whom she guessed to be Katherine and Maddox. She could feel Maddox was indeed very powerful, though not as powerful as Bonnie was. She wondered what happened to her friends after she was taken from the dance.

"Meet Katerina, your babysitter." The vampire rolled her eyes but said nothing. "And Maddox. Now, Maddox and I have some business to attend to. I understand you can't practice magic, that is if you didn't lie to me of course," he winked at her, "but let me be clear. I made a promise to my big brother I wouldn't harm you. But if you try anything, if when I come back you're somewhere else other than in this apartment, I will find you and I will have to break that promise, do you understand?"

Mackenzie swallowed then nodded.

"Good! See you later then," he said then they were gone.

A few seconds of silence passed during which Katherine listened to Klaus and his minion leave the building. When they were out, she took a breath then sat down on the couch.

"So you're dating Elijah, uh?" she asked while inspecting her nails.

Mackenzie had heard a lot about Katherine. About who she was and all the terrible things she did. But she would have never imagined that the first thing the vampire would say to her would be this.

"No," she said, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the girl, "Klaus said you were his weakness."

"We're friends."

"Mmh," she said as if she were thinking about it. "Well, Klaus is right, you know. Elijah's not going to let you die."

Mackenzie wished that were true. She wished she could believe it. Maybe she felt bad she had ruined her friend's chance at avenging his siblings.

"You're not a witch."

Mackenzie felt like time had stopped, like her heart had stopped beating. Katherine hadn't said that like she was asking a question. She said it like she knew.

"I…"

"It was smart, lying to him," the vampire continued, "though a terrible decision, really. When he hears your last name, he'll know exactly what you are."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about."

As soon as she said that, Katherine was on her feet, right in front of the elemental.

"Don't treat me like I'm an idiot," she said, her face inches from hers. "Alemaund? Elijah should've told you Klaus wouldn't be fooled. Anyone who's as old as he is knows what an Alemaund is."

Mackenzie swallowed. "How do _you_ know?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Katherine shrugged then backed away. "I've met elementals before. Helped a mermaid once in Germany."

 _Germany? The Holy Forest?_ Mackenzie wanted to ask but was too afraid to. What if she asked how she knew about it? She couldn't risk it.

"A… mermaid?" she faked ignorance.

"Yeah, an elemental of water. She wasn't half fish or anything but, that's what she called herself."

"Did you… did you tell the others?"

"You mean Damon and Stefan? No. They don't even know what an elemental is. Besides, it is smart to lie. Your kind has a lot of enemies and very few friends."

"I've been told my kind was extinct."

"Yeah, half true."

"Do you… do you know other elementals… that are still alive I mean?"

Katherine looked up and grinned. "Maybe."

Mackenzie hesitated but sat near the vampire anyway. "Tell me. Tell me about elementals."

"Urgh," she rolled her eyes, "you're lucky I'm bored. What do you wanna know?"

"I… How… How many have you met?"

Katherine thought about it before she answered. "18."

"18?" Mackenzie sounded surprised. "I thought elementals were all dead."

"Not really. Your kind is hiding and has gotten very good at it through the centuries. Most of them are in Europe, mostly Germany."

"What's in Germany?"

Katherine sighed like she hesitated to answer but then realized she didn't care.

"There's a community there, hidden. It's called the Holy Forest," she scoffed, "what a ridiculous name. It's safe for any creature. Killing in the Forest is strictly forbidden. If you kill someone, you kill yourself. Of course that sounded like paradise for your kind."

"Does… does it still exist?"

"Oh sure. Powerful witches live there 'cause they don't have to worry about their safety. They're so powerful they made themselves immortal. They lead it."

"They lead the community?"

"Yeah, there's a queen there. Margo. She's the bastard child of a Spanish King. She felt like she deserved a crown so she made herself a kingdom. Smart girl that witch."

"Do you know her?"

"She doesn't like me very much," Katherine grinned. "But I've met her."

"How… What were you doing in the Forest?"

"Hiding from Klaus," she said as she pushed herself away from the couch. Mackenzie followed her with her eyes as she walked towards the kitchen and took out a bottle of brown alcohol.

"Why did you leave?"

"'cause it's boring. It's like a small country, or a really big city, but it's a secret so you imagine how it is."

"Boring," Mackenzie nodded.

"Exactly. It's a hassle to get inside so I never went back."

"Are your elemental friends still there?"

"My elemental friends are dead."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, old age. You don't really die from anything else over there, which is the only plus side really."

"Your friends… they were all mermaids?"

"No. They were from every family. One of them, an Alemaund, was even an ultimate."

Mackenzie started to sweat. "An ultimate?"

"Mmh. An elemental who can control every element and more. Even practice witchcraft," Katherine brought the bottle to her mouth before she sat back down. "What about you? What element can you control?"

"Uh… I," she shook her head.

"Let me guess, you don't know."

"I told Klaus the truth. I don't really know how to use my powers."

"You don't 'really' know? So you know a little?"

"I…" she shrugged, "a little."

"Like what?"

"Uh… fire. And nature."

"Mmh, interesting. You might be an ultimate yourself. After all Maddox did think you were a witch. Maybe it's because you can practice witchcraft."

"That would be bad, right?"

"How so?" Katherine raised an eyebrow.

"If I'm an ultimate. Klaus will kill me."

"Maybe. Probably."

"We thought you'd be dead," she changed the subject, "Damon and Stefan told Elijah they thought Klaus had killed you."

"No. Klaus won't kill me. Not now anyway. He's enjoying torturing me. You want my advice? If you manage to get out of here, run. Run and don't come back."

"Sounds like good advice."

"How do you think I survived all these years?"

* * *

Seeing Klaus, the real Klaus, walk out of that life size box was one of the most terrifying thing Mackenzie had ever witnessed. Mostly because Greta Martin and Maddox had made it look so easy. Mackenzie hadn't said a word since Klaus had come back. The original vampire, to her relief, had more important issues to deal with than engage in conversation with her.

Seeing Greta broke her heart. She didn't dare speak to her, but she remembered how determined her father and brother were to get her back. She wondered how they would have felt if they had known she was working with Klaus because she wanted to.

Katherine kept talking about the Forest. She really liked hearing herself talk. But she didn't tell Mackenzie anything she didn't already know. She went on and on about ultimates and how they came to exist, how elementals had been chased down through the centuries by vampires and witches, mostly witches. The only interesting information Mackenzie wanted to hear more about was the Holy Forest. Unfortunately, it seemed that Katherine was done talking about it.

"Good news, Mackie Mack!" Klaus said in the late afternoon of the day of the full moon. "Elijah agreed to the exchange! Of course, that's just the first part of the deal. I'll only release you after. Once I'm back, and alive, and curse free," he grinned before he left to get Elena, and the moon stone.

Mackenzie swallowed. She knew if Klaus died, she'd be free, if he didn't, she would die. Because there was no way Elijah wasn't going to try to kill his brother. She just knew it.

When Klaus came back an hour later, he was alone, and mad. "Where's Maddox? He should be back by now."

"I don't know," Katherine mumbled.

Klaus sat at the desk and opened his laptop. He seemed to be watching a video.

"What are you doing?" the vampire asked but received no answer. "Where's Elena?" she sighed out of annoyance.

"With Greta."

Screams of pain came out of the laptop and Mackenzie shivered when she understood it was live footage.

"It's almost time," Klaus said with a smile.

Mackenzie was too afraid to ask. She wouldn't have had the time anyway as the front door opened suddenly. Mackenzie, for a reason she didn't know, moved towards Katherine, as if she'd be safer by the vampire's side.

"I wasn't aware you've been invited in," Klaus said which made Mackenzie frown.

She hadn't seen anyone enter but as she turned around and followed Klaus' gaze, she saw Damon standing in front of the Original.

"I came here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual."

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"Yeah but that was before I rescued your werewolf and vampire."

Mackenzie looked up at Katherine who said nothing. _What werewolf and vampire? And why did it matter?_

"And killed your witch," Damon finished.

"Excuse me?" Klaus said with a threatening tone as he got up and took angry steps towards the vampire.

"And you can kill me for it," Damon continued, "I don't care. It was all me."

"Girls, give us a moment," Klaus said, not removing his eyes from Damon.

Katherine took Mackenzie to the bedroom and closed the door.

"Trust me. You don't want to see this."

* * *

Katherine opened the bedroom door after she heard Klaus call her. Of course, Mackenzie hadn't heard anything. Damon was lying on the floor, unconscious but alive.

"I need you to do me a favor," he told Katherine as he handed her a cellphone which Mackenzie recognized to be Elena's.

"What?"

"Call sweet aunt Jenna for me, will you? Tell her to come over here."

"What? Why?" Mackenzie couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Well, unfortunately Damon has let my vampire escape, so I'm going to need a new one."

"What? But… she's not a vampire."

"You're right. She's not a vampire. Yet," he grinned a terrifying smile.

Mackenzie's eyes grew big as she understood, and her heart started to beat harder in her chest.

"You can't do this!"

Klaus laughed. "Of course I can. And I will."

Mackenzie looked up at Katherine who shook her head no. Of course she knew there was nothing she could do and any attempt to stop him would result in her death but she had to do something. She couldn't just let Jenna die.

"Can't you use somebody else?"

Klaus turned around and raised an eyebrow. "And who would you suggest I kill instead of Elena's aunt? Do you have anyone in mind? Someone at school you don't like, perhaps?"

"I… I…"

"I'll tell you what," he said as he approached her and it took everything she had in her not to step back, "if you can name someone, anyone you'd like me to kill instead, I will," he gave her a smile that made her want to puke. "Well? Anyone?"

"Klaus, she's not gonna name anyone," Katherine stopped him.

"I know she won't," he said as he took the elemental's face in his hand. "She's no killer."

* * *

Right after Klaus exited the building to go meet Jenna, Katherine took a blood bag from the fridge and started feeding it to Damon who was still lying on the floor with a broken neck. The first thing he asked was why Mackenzie was "wailing".

"He should've used me," Damon growled as he got on his feet with some difficulty. "Why didn't he use me?"

"He couldn't. He said you were as good as dead."

"What does that even mean?"

"What does it mean?" she repeated with anger in her voice. She took his arm and brought his sleeve up revealing a nasty wound.

"What is this Damon?"

"That's…" he sighed. "That's a werewolf bite."

"That's… that's gonna kill you," Mackenzie said.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" he snapped.

"Damon, focus!" Katherine waved a hand in front of his face, "Tell us. What's the plan?"

"The plan?"

"Yeah, the plan! The plan to kill Klaus."

"What so you can call him and tell him all about it?"

"Are you kidding me? I want Klaus dead! What makes you think I want him to come back and kill me after he's done torturing me?"

Damon sighed and rolled his eyes. "We let him do the sacrifice and we kill him when he turns after the ritual. When he's most vulnerable."

"We?"

"Bonnie and Elijah."

"Wha- I thought Bonnie could kill Klaus on her own," Mackenzie asked.

"Channeling that much power will kill her. We faked her death, Klaus thinks she's dead. He knows Elijah's around but he thinks he won't intervene because of you," he said pointing a finger at the her. "You better pray this works, because if it doesn't, you're both as dead as me."

* * *

That was the longest night of Mackenzie's life. She hadn't slept at all and Klaus still hadn't come back at sunrise. But something told them Klaus was still alive. And that thing was trashing Alaric's living room.

"He's still alive!" she shouted as she threw a chair against the wall. "I'm still compelled!"

Mackenzie couldn't move as she watched Katherine destroy all of her professor's furniture. She was petrified with fear. Klaus was still alive which meant she was dead. She didn't know if Bonnie and Elijah had survived, she didn't know if Elena had taken the potion, and she probably never will.

As the day passed Mackenzie went through different phases. She panicked silently in the morning, had needed Katherine to calm her down at noon, and cried tears of grief for both her friends and herself in the afternoon. When the sun went away however, she started to ask questions.

"Didn't he say he'd be back today? Where is he?"

"How should I know?" Katherine replied, though she did find it weird too.

Mackenzie eventually fell asleep, exhausted from her previous sleepless night. She woke up early in the morning, and still no sign of Klaus.

"Klaus hasn't come back but Damon and Stefan haven't either," Katherine eventually said on the second afternoon.

"Maybe they're dead," Mackenzie said with no emotion in her voice.

"Or they're afraid of Klaus and they're staying away."

"Either way we have no idea what happened."

"Can I ask you something?"

Mackenzie looked up at the vampire, suddenly curious. "Sure."

"If nobody comes for us and you're about to die from starvation, do you mind if I drink your blood? I'm almost out of blood bags."

Mackenzie stared at Elena's doppelganger in silence for a minute before she started laughing.

"I'm being serious," Katherine insisted though the grin on her face contradicted that statement.

"You wanna eat me?"

"You smell very good. In fact, you're starting to smell _extremely_ good. I was wondering how you managed to cover your scent."

"Elijah," she replied, wiping a few tears off her cheeks, "his blood helps."

"Vampire blood hides your scent?" she asked and the elemental nodded. "Interesting."

"Well, if Klaus comes back he'll smell the lie on me. Not that it matters, he'll kill me anyway," she said, resigned to her fate.

"Mmh, let's not take any chances," the vampire said as she bit her wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Drink."

Mackenzie raised her eyebrows.

"Drink before it heals."

Mackenzie hesitated but drank anyway.

"Thank you…"

"Don't mention it," the vampire sighed as she leaned back into the couch.

Katherine started talking and never stopped. She talked about her human life, how she became a vampire, what she did to survive. How she would do it all over again. At some point in the night she realized Mackenzie had fallen asleep next to her. She'd have been offended if she weren't so worried.

On the third afternoon, as they were playing cards in the kitchen, the front door opened. Mackenzie's heart stopped as she heard someone enter the apartment. The look on Katherine's face didn't reassure her at all. But when they turned around all they felt was relief.

"Two days we've been waiting!" Katherine told Stefan as he closed the door. "What happened?"

"We ran into complications."

"Complications?" Katherine repeated.

"Doesn't really matter, I need to find him, any idea where he is?"

"We've been trapped in here for two days," Mackenzie told Stefan. "Why hasn't anyone come before now?"

"Well, why didn't you leave?" Stefan frowned, "Katherine's not really compelled to keep you in here, I thought you'd have gone by now."

"Wait… you're not?!"

"Um, yeah maybe should've mentioned that."

"You think?!"

"Sorry," Katherine shrugged. "I enjoy your company."

Mackenzie almost choked. It had been a while since she'd felt some sort of anger. She also felt really stupid for thinking Katherine Pierce would have been honest with her.

"Don't you remember what he said? If you leave he'll come after you and kill you. And… he'll know I'm on vervain and he'll kill me…" she said as if she weren't remorseful at all. And she wasn't, Mackenzie had listened to her long enough to know Katherine Pierce didn't do remorse.

"I…" Mackenzie shook her head, she was speechless. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "How's Elijah?" she finally asked.

"He betrayed us. He was about to kill Klaus when he saved him."

"What? Why?" She couldn't believe it. All Elijah had talked about in the past month was the plan to kill his brother. She had seen his determination, his pain, his anger. What could have possibly changed his mind?

"Klaus told him his siblings were safe and that he'd take him to them," Stefan explained, and she gasped. That would explain it.

"Is… is it true?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Wait," Katherine cut them off, "why are _you_ here? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"I just need to know where he is, do you…"

But before he could finish his sentence, the door opened again. They all backed away to see Klaus come in, and he wasn't alone.

"Elijah," Mackenzie breathed out as she went to hug him. He hugged her back, happy to see her safe and unharmed. Klaus raised an eyebrow and grinned a mocking smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he took a look at her. She was still wearing that bloody dress from the dance.

"She's fine, brother. I told her I wouldn't harm your little witch.

"Klaus," Katherine said, seizing Stefan by his jacket, "look who decided to come for a visit."

"Well you just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus smiled, amused.

"I need your help," Stefan said, "for my brother."

"Well, whatever it is it's gonna have to wait. You see, I have an obligation to _my_ brother that requires my immediate attention," Klaus said as he walked away towards the kitchen.

Stefan's eyes moved from Mackenzie to Elijah to whom he gave a dark look.

"You understand how important family is or you wouldn't be here," the Original told the youngest Salvatore. He looked down at Mackenzie and explained: "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

"And so I shall."

Mackenzie jumped as she heard Klaus speak from behind her. Elijah turned around to face his brother who pushed a dagger in his heart.

"No!" Mackenzie screamed, "stop it!"

"Don't," were Elijah's last word, though they weren't for his brother.

"No," she cried as he fell on the floor, "why did you do that?!" she asked as she kneeled near her friend's dead body.

"Don't remove the dagger now, or I'll have to use it on you before I put it back, do you understand?"

Mackenzie didn't reply. "Why did you do that?" she cried, cupping Elijah's cheeks with shaking hands.

Klaus ignored her. He seized Stefan by his shirt and pushed him against a wall. "Now… what am I gonna do with you?"

* * *

Mackenzie stayed by Elijah's body while Klaus repeatedly pushed a knife in Stefan's abdomen. Mackenzie could only hear Stefan's cries of pain and Elijah's silence.

"He's just trying to help his brother," Katherine eventually said.

"The witches said you had a cure. Make me a deal. Just give me the cure and I'll do whatever you want."

"Trouble is," Klaus said as he removed the knife from Stefan's stomach. The vampire fell to the floor. "I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now," he continued as he poured blood into a glass. "I heard about this one vampire, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. A true ripper. Sound familiar?" he asked with an evil grin as he brought the glass of blood to his lips.

"I haven't been that way in a very long time."

"Well that's a vampire I can made a deal with. That is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town."

 _A psychopath._ Mackenzie thought. _A monster of nightmares._

"Katerina," he called quietly, "come here."

Katherine hesitated, of course, though she didn't have much choice. She gave him her hand as he requested it. Then, he bit her. Mackenzie jumped as she heard Katherine's cries of pain.

"No," the vampire breathed out, "no, no, no," she kept repeating as she stared at the werewolf bite on her wrist. But Klaus quickly forcefully fed her his blood.

"You want your cure?" Klaus asked Stefan. "There it is."

"Your blood is the cure."

"Gotta love mother nature" Klaus grinned. "Now. Let's talk."

For the next hour, Klaus forced Stefan to drink from the blood bags in the fridge. "You do everything I say and I save your brother, that's the deal," he had said. So, Stefan did everything he said while Katherine and Mackenzie watched, powerless. "Leave town with me and save your brother's life," was Klaus' deal. When Stefan accepted, he gave a vial of blood to Katherine and compelled her to deliver it to Damon.

"No," Stefan said.

"You want me to leave?" Katherine asked just to be sure.

"Yes. And take the witch with you, will you? I'm tired of listening to her cry."

"No," Stefan repeated but it was too late. They were gone. "She'll never take it to him!"

Klaus shrugged. "Well I'm not the one who gave her vervain, am I?"

* * *

"Is that all?" Katherine asked as she closed the trunk of Elijah's black SUV.

Mackenzie had found the keys in the kitchen. She had wrapped up her things and Elijah's and had put everything in the car with Katherine's help. She couldn't leave anything behind as the owners would be back soon now that Elijah was dead.

"Yes. Thank you for your help."

"No problem," the vampire sighed. "You ready to go?"

Mackenzie couldn't help but feel like she was making the worst decision she ever made. It felt like a suicide mission. And who was she kidding? It was. But what else was she supposed to do? She had nowhere to go. No one to go to. So when Katherine asked her if she wanted to go after Klaus with her, after Elijah, she couldn't say no because she didn't really have any other option.

"Yes. Let's go."


	14. Into The Wolf's Mouth

**Hi there!**

 **New chapters will be posted every Wednesday!**

 **I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Looking in the mirror, Mackenzie wasn't sure what she was seeing anymore. Certainly not the girl she was when she met Elijah, and not the girl she was when she left Mystic Falls with Katherine almost two months ago. She couldn't decide if her life were better now that her best friends were vampires or if she missed the days when she was afraid to breathe near her abusive stepfather. Maybe it was Katherine's confident attitude that was rubbing off on her, but she felt empowered, stronger and more determined than ever. Of course, practicing her magic helped too. It was easy to feel powerful when a simple look could set anything on fire.

For the two months they had been together, Mackenzie and Katherine had only fought once. Mackenzie had been focusing on the element of fire in her training in the previous two weeks when she came across a passage in one of her ancestors' journals warning about the side effects. Elementals of fire were known for their anger issues of supernatural proportion. Mackenzie had understood then where her sudden hot-tempered attitude had come from. And why Katherine had insisted she practiced fire first.

"Did you know?!" she had asked, loudly enough to wake up the entire hotel.

"Maybe," Katherine only shrugged, without an ounce of regret.

The argument had lasted two days. Mackenzie went on about how she didn't like being manipulated but moved on when she realized that "We're going after Klaus. I need you to be on your game if he catches us. A little confidence could save your life. And mine." would be the only thing close to an apology she'd ever get from the vampire. Afterwards, Mackenzie had decided to focus on other elements. She decided she didn't like the person she was when she had fire in her veins. She didn't like the thoughts she had when she was angry.

Mackenzie had learnt a lot about Katherine in the past few weeks, and she understood very quickly how the vampire had managed to survive the last five centuries. She compelled her way to everything. Food, clothes, cars, hotel rooms… She always found clever ways to get what she wanted. And what she wanted the most in this world was her freedom. And Klaus dead.

On the morning of June 22, Katherine still had blood on her lips when she came back into their rooms with a smile on her face. She saw Mackenzie hadn't moved from where she was when she left an hour before. The vampire grinned an evil smile as she took a step.

"Happy birthday!" Katherine said loud enough to wake up all the other rooms in the four stories hotel as she opened the curtains, letting the sunlight invade the room. Mackenzie groaned unhappily, waved her hand and the curtains were closed again.

"What time is it?" Mackenzie asked, bringing the bed cover over her head.

"Almost 9. You wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't spent all night practicing your magic," Katherine said as she sat on the elemental's bed, turning the pages of one of Mackenzie's ancient journals.

"I need to practice. I want to be able to defend myself."

"Well, at least you can defend yourself against sunlight," she pushed herself off the bed and opened the curtains again. "But not from me. Get up. I got a present for you," she sang the last part happily.

"You're in a good mood today," Mackenzie sighed as she sat up on the bed.

"It's your birthday! Why aren't _you_ in a good mood?"

"Um, let's see. I dropped from high school a month before graduation, my only friend is lying dead in a coffin somewhere, I'm one of the last elementals on this planet, I'm going after the oldest psycho vampire in the world with no plan whatsoever… what should I be happy about, exactly?"

"Your only friend?" Katherine gasped, bringing a hand to her heart. "I'm offended," she joked.

"Fine. One of my only _two_ friends is lying dead in a coffin somewhere."

Katherine grinned. "Get up. We're leaving today."

"Where are we going?"

"That is a surprise," Katherine teased.

"Is that my birthday gift?"

"It's part of your birthday gift," she winked before locking herself in the bathroom.

Mackenzie sighed as she pushed the bed cover away from her. She picked up the journals and grimoires from the floor and put them back inside her bag. She had left the chest in a storage room near Mystic Falls before leaving town. She couldn't take the risk of losing it while traveling the country so she only took grimoires and journals she could read and use to practice her magic and make herself stronger.

"Are you ready for the rest of your gift?" Katherine asked as she exited the bathroom.

"Did you find Klaus?" Mackenzie asked, because that's all she really wanted.

"Yes. Well… kind of. I know what he's been up to."

"What?"

"Ever since the curse was lifted Klaus has been looking for werewolves to turn. Unfortunately for him, and for the werewolves, that didn't go so well."

"What do you mean?"

"They all died. He can't make hybrids. He's pissed and he wants answers."

"That's… my gift?"

"No. _That'_ smy gift," Katherine said with a smirk as she handed her a postcard.

"A postcard from… Chicago?"

"That's where Klaus is going. And that's our next stop."

"What's in Chicago?"

"A witch. He'll ask her why his hybrids are dying."

"What does she know about it?"

"She's a witch. Witches don't know anything, they usually ask the spirits for answers."

"So… we go to Chicago and… we get Elijah back while Klaus is busy getting his answers."

"Wow there cowgirl, slow down! It's not gonna be _that_ easy. You think Klaus leaves his siblings unprotected?"

"I think between you and me, whoever's guarding the coffins doesn't stand a chance."

"Well look at you. I'd be proud if being overly confident wasn't the best way to get yourself killed," Katherine said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We've been waiting for a chance to get close for weeks! This is the best opportunity we got so far!"

"Look, you wanna get yourself killed? I won't stop you. But you won't be useful to Elijah if you're dead."

Mackenzie clenched her jaw, took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Katherine was right. It was a terrible plan.

"Sorry… It's the fire in me," she said, and she meant it literally, "I need to slow down."

"Always remember this, Mack: ask questions first, shoot later. Unless your life depends on it then shoot first and ask questions later."

Mackenzie frowned. "Thanks for the advice, that clarifies so much."

"You're welcome."

* * *

It took them the entire day to get to Chicago, following the Original hybrid by a couple of hours. Mackenzie never asked Katherine how she knew what she knew but she figured that's where she went early in the morning. She always came back with new information, and blood on her shirt. After 500 years of running, Mackenzie figured Katherine had made a few friends along the way.

The next morning was different though, because Katherine never came back. Mackenzie was getting worried as the clock struck noon and still no sign of the immortal doppelganger. Around 2, Mackenzie was getting tired of waiting, and she was worried. She decided to do a locator spell but as she was looking for a personal object in Katherine's belongings, she found an opened notepad with an address written in red on it. A Chicago address for a place just around the corner.

It took less than half an hour for the elemental to get there. She was pretty sure that's where she'd found Katherine as the lock of the apartment's front door was broken. When she stepped inside, she came face to face with whom she thought was her friend.

"Kat! What are you doing? I was worried sick!"

But Katherine didn't respond. Instead, she frowned and the surprised and confused look on her face told Mackenzie that the girl standing in the kitchen in front of her wasn't Katherine Pierce.

"Mackenzie?" Elena breathed out. "What are you doing here? We thought you were dead!"

"Why would you think that?" Mackenzie frowned. "And what are _you_ doing here?"

"Did you say Kat? As in Katherine?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for her. What is this place?"

"What are you doing with Katherine?"

"Trying to help Elijah," Mackenzie said as if it were obvious. "Why are you here?"

"Damon brought me here. It used to be Stefan's apartment."

Well that would explain why Katherine had the address. Mackenzie was about to reply when a shiver ran down her spine. _Uh-oh_.

"Klaus is here," she breathed out.

"What?"

"You need to leave, now!"

"I can't, he'll see me!"

"Then hide!"

"What about you?"

"I… I'll be fine just go!"

Elena hesitated but eventually stepped out of the kitchen and entered what Mackenzie guessed was the bedroom.

 _Think, think, think._ Mackenzie could have locked the door, even set the building on fire but that wouldn't have helped anybody. Her best shot was to distract Klaus to save Elena. With a little luck, he wouldn't kill her. With a little luck.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she heard Klaus say with delight.

Mackenzie slowly turned around and faced a smiling Klaus and a frowning Stefan.

"Mackenzie, is it?" Klaus asked. She swallowed then nodded. "Now, that is a complete surprise," he chuckled. "What are you doing here? Or, how did you find us, shall I ask."

Mackenzie's heart started beating harder. Her breath was uneven as she tried to find an answer. "Damon," she lied.

"Ah. Your brother's still looking for you, is he?" he told Stefan. "Looks like he hasn't learnt his lesson yet."

"You didn't come here for me," Stefan said, "you came for Elijah."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "That's right," he said as if he had just remembered who she was. "Fancy my brother, do you?"

"What?" Mackenzie shook her head. "I…"

"Relax," the hybrid laughed, "I appreciate your loyalty to my brother, and your bravery. But you know what people say, there's a fine line between bravery…" Klaus whispered as he took a step towards the elemental, "and stupidity."

He gave her one of his terrifying smiles before he slid his nose down her neck. Mackenzie froze as she heard Klaus breathe in her scent. Katherine had just given her blood the day before so he shouldn't be able to tell what she really was. But still, he was terrifying. Then, after what seemed like hours, Klaus sighed.

"Well, I can't kill you now," he said with what might have been disappointment in his voice, "Elijah's not gonna be happy I daggered him, I can't make him angrier by killing his girlfriend, can I?"

"I'm not his girlfriend," Mackenzie had the courage to say with a weak voice. She then realized how stupid it was to tell Klaus he had no real reason to keep her alive.

Klaus laughed. "So. Where is Damon?"

"I don't know. He left me here."

"That wasn't very smart of him, was it?" Klaus mocked. "Now, now. I can't have you mess around my business. And if I can't kill you then… I guess I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on you," he grinned. "Besides, Rebekah could use a friend. She's only been dead for 90 years, after all. I'm sure she'll appreciate your company."

"You want to give her to your sister?" Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"Rebekah will be angry when she wakes up. Anything to calm her down is fine by me. Go on now. Gloria will be waiting for us."

"Who's Gloria?" she asked.

"A witch and a friend of mine who's helping me figure out why I can't make hybrids."

That wasn't good. If Klaus turned to that witch for help it meant that she was powerful. Very powerful. And witches weren't Mackenzie's friends. _Stay away from those bitches,_ Katherine had told her. This could go wrong in so many ways. The witch could tell Klaus she was an elemental, in which case he'd kill her, or the witch could just kill her herself. Either way, Mackenzie doubted she'd ever see Katherine or Elijah again.

* * *

Gloria, if she knew of Mackenzie's true nature, hadn't said a thing. Klaus and Stefan had been drinking for over an hour at the witch's bar, waiting for Rebekah, whom Mackenzie had learnt was Klaus' sister who had been lying in a casket since the 1920's.

The vampires seemed to have forgotten of the girl's presence as they kept talking about that time, 90 year ago, when they knew each other. Mackenzie didn't know what to think as she heard of Stefan and Klaus being best friends and Stefan being in love with Klaus' sister.

"You compelled me to forget," Stefan said as he realized why he couldn't remember any of it.

"It was time for Rebekah and I to move on," Klaus explained. "Better to have a clean slate."

"But why? You shouldn't have to cover your tracks. Unless you're running from someone."

"Story time's over."

Stefan didn't insist. "I need another drink," he said. "A real one." Klaus dismissed him before he poured himself another drink.

Mackenzie was too afraid to open her mouth. She was happy enough that Klaus acted like she wasn't sitting right next to him. Unfortunately, the evening was about to take a dark turn and Mackenzie knew it wasn't going to end well when Damon came to sit at the bar, a stool away from the Original hybrid.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riffraff now," Klaus said, not bothering to look at him.

"Oh, honey, I've been called worse," Damon replied which made Klaus chuckle.

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Give me my brother back and you'll never have to see me again."

"I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die otherwise you wouldn't be here, so…"

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker," Damon grinned.

Klaus smiled back for a couple of seconds before jumping from his seat. The sudden movement startled Mackenzie. The Original seized the vampire by the throat and started poking around his chest with a toothpick from the bar.

"I'm a little boozy, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries."

Mackenzie was frozen on her seat, torn between asking the vampire to stop or stopping him herself. It wouldn't require much magic, she could set the toothpick on fire, which was easy enough, but then she'd have to neutralize Klaus which would certainly piss him off but also reveal her true powers, which she had no intention of doing.

"Klaus! Klaus stop!" she begged. She didn't really know why, she wasn't particularly fond of Damon, in fact she really didn't like him, but that didn't mean she wanted him dead.

Klaus' only answer was a laugh. "Stop? Why would I do that?"

"You want a partner in crime?" Damon managed to say despite Klaus' hand on his throat. "Forget Stefan. I'm so much more fun."

Klaus tilted his head as if he were thinking about it but then threw Damon over a table.

"You won't be any fun after you're dead," he said as he broke a chair and made a stake out of it.

"Klaus!" Mackenzie shouted as he was about to stab the eldest Salvatore in the heart.

But as soon as she said his name, the stake caught on fire, and Mackenzie was sure she hadn't done it. Klaus let go of it with a growl.

"Really?"

"Not in my bar." Gloria said. "You take it outside."

Klaus sighed. "You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom," he told Damon. "When I'm done with him, he won't wanna go back." He stepped away from him, gesturing him to leave.

Damon got up with a groan. He sighed before he took the direction of the exit.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Klaus asked.

Damon turned away and gave him a confused look. Klaus pointed a finger at Mackenzie. Damon frowned.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Klaus laughed, raising his eyebrows at her. "Now that's interesting." Mackenzie looked away. "You can go now," he told Damon. "And don't come back."

* * *

When Stefan came back a couple of minutes after Damon had gone, Klaus still hadn't asked Mackenzie to tell him the truth, which she found weird, but ultimately wouldn't complain about. She followed them, not that she had any choice, to a big storage room where an empty open coffin was waiting for them. She looked around, wondering where Elijah's coffin was.

Klaus turned around to look at the room and saw one of his man lying dead on the floor.

"Rebekah," he called. "It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Almost instantly, a blonde young woman dressed in a white dress from the 20's, launched herself at Klaus and stabbed him in the heart with a silver dagger.

"Go to hell, Nik," she snarled.

Klaus gasped out of pain but was left unharmed by the attack. He removed the dagger from his chest and let it fall to the floor.

"Don't pout, you knew it wouldn't kill me."

"No, but I was hoping it would hurt more," she said as she walked away from him.

Mackenzie stepped back, only for her back to meet Stefan's chest. She looked up at him, and she could see by the look on his face that he wasn't going to help her, no matter what happened. She was on her own. She thanked Katherine for all the training sessions from the past two months. She had a feeling she was going to have to put them to use very soon.

"I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah," Klaus followed her and she stopped when he placed a hand on her shoulder, "so I'm gonna let that go, just this once."

She gave him an unsatisfied look.

"I brought you a little peace offering," he said before he pointed at Stefan.

Mackenzie could see the surprise on the blonde's face. Her anger faded away as a smile appeared on her face.

"Stefan?"

Mackenzie looked up at the vampire and could see he didn't remember the blonde at all. She moved away as Klaus stepped towards them. She watched as the hybrid put a hand on the vampire's shoulder and compelled him to remember before stepping away.

Stefan was confused for a short moment but then his eyes fell on Klaus' sister and a genuine happy smile formed on his face.

"Rebekah," he breathed out. He started walking slowly towards her but stopped when Klaus softly called his name. He turned around and frowned as he now recognized him too. "I remember you. We were friends."

"We _are_ friends," Klaus corrected him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "And now, the reason you're here," he told his sister, "Gloria tells me you know how to contact the Original witch."

"'The Original witch'?" Rebekah repeated like it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

"What do you have that Gloria needs?"

Rebekah brought a hand to her neck but was surprised to find nothing there.

"Where's my necklace?" she asked. "What did you do with it? I never take it off!"

"Tell me that's not what she needs."

"We need to find it!"

"Tell me that's not what she needs!" Klaus growled, his anger only growing.

"We need to find it now! I want it back!" Rebekah shouted.

"Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!" Klaus yelled so loud it made Mackenzie jump.

Rebekah turned to her coffin and looked inside then destroyed it when she found nothing there.

Klaus was so furious Mackenzie started to fear for her own life. After all, Klaus was known to kill people when things didn't go his way. She looked up at Stefan who had a weird look on his face. Mackenzie thought she saw guilt, or maybe worry.

"It's fine," Klaus said as he took a deep breath, "it's fine. Gloria will find it."

"She better!" Rebekah threatened. "Who's that?" she asked, pointing at Mackenzie. The elemental swallowed, it didn't seem like a good moment for her to become the center of their attention.

"That, dear sister, is Mackenzie."

"What is she doing here?"

"She came for Elijah, isn't that right, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie's eyes moved from Klaus to his sister then to Klaus again. She was too scared to speak, certain that the wrong word would be a death sentence. She nodded.

"Where _is_ Elijah?" Rebekah asked.

"In his coffin."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, disappointed, but not surprised. "Then why is she here?"

"She's stubborn this one," Klaus said as he walked towards Mackenzie and put his arm around her shoulders. Mackenzie felt like her heart had stopped beating. "She won't let Elijah go."

"But you're not gonna wake him up. So why is she here?" she asked again, getting annoyed.

"I found her snooping around earlier today, I thought she could keep you company. After all, if she can be friends with Elijah, she can be friends with you."

"You kidnapped me a friend?" Rebekah asked with a frown.

"You're welcome. Just keep an eye on her, will you? She's a powerful witch and I'm not ready to face Elijah just yet."

Rebekah let out an amused laugh. "She doesn't look like a powerful witch," she mocked.

"Well she's a little inexperienced but she was smart enough to find me here so I'm not taking any chances."

Rebekah didn't answer. She looked Mackenzie up and down which made the elemental feel not only like she was taking her final breaths, but also a bit self-conscious. It took everything she had in her not to step back and to keep her chin up, when Rebekah made her way to her. _A little self-confidence could save your life._

"So, you're Elijah's girlfriend?" she asked, doubt clear on her face.

"No," Mackenzie said in a whisper, unable to speak any louder, "we're just friends."

"You don't follow Niklaus around for just a 'friend'. Unless you have a death wish."

Klaus laughed. Mackenzie could see Rebekah was waiting for an answer. What could she tell her? She had no good reason to be here except for the truth. As pathetic as it could be.

"I don't have anyone but Elijah. Without him…," she paused, and Rebekah raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue, "I'm all alone. He saved my life once. I wanted to do the same for him."

Rebekah didn't move her eyes from the girl's face, studying her, thinking about what she had just heard. After a moment of silence, Rebekah nodded and stepped back.

"I like you. We shall be friends."

* * *

Damon was in his living room, pouring himself a glass of alcohol with a hand, his phone in the other.

"Okay, you were right. He was there."

"I'm always right," Katherine said through the phone. "Let me guess. It ended in tears and heartbreak."

"Where are you?"

"Why? Do you wanna come rub sunscreen on my back?"

"I'm thinking Europe. Italy maybe. Or Spain. You were always a sucker for those lazy afternoons."

He expected her to keep lying but instead was met with silence.

"You're still here?"

"Was she there?" she asked with a serious tone he wasn't used to hearing from her.

"Who?" he frowned, confused.

"Mackenzie. Did you see her?"

Damon laughed as he realized. "Mackenzie, of course! I was wondering what she was doing with him. But she wasn't there with him. She was there with _you_."

"So you saw her?"

"Yeah, I saw her."

"Was she okay?"

"Well she didn't look happy to be there but her heart was still beating when I left, if that's what you're asking. Why do you even care?"

"I don't."

"Liar."

"Goodbye, Damon."

The vampire didn't have time to say goodbye as she hung up on him. He threw his phone on the couch and sat down on an armchair near the fireplace.

What was he going to do now?


	15. Ding Dong: The Witch Is Dead

Mackenzie missed Katherine. She never thought that being so close to Elijah would be a bad thing. Unfortunately, she was closer to Klaus and Rebekah, and no matter how hard she tried to find a way to remove the dagger that kept Elijah in his coffin, she couldn't find any that didn't end with her dead. And Klaus was no idiot, he made sure that Mackenzie didn't get close to his brother, had even instructed Rebekah to be careful not to let her out of her sight.

Klaus had a taste for the luxurious. Even more so than Katherine. The place they were staying out was the most beautiful Mackenzie had ever seen. And unnecessarily big. Three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a view of the city… Even the couch Mackenzie had slept on was more comfortable than any bed she had slept in in the last two months. Klaus had gone out of his way to make sure Mackenzie had everything she needed. She was surprised at first when he handed her a bag of clothes and hygiene necessities but then figured he had needed to get some for his sister anyway.

Rebekah wasn't particularly nice, but she wasn't exactly mean either, or at least, she hadn't been yet. Mackenzie was worried that the blonde would have any expectations from her "friend", but she hadn't asked her to do anything odd, yet. Klaus had tasked the elemental with informing her sister on what she had missed in the last 90 years. That meant anything from a basic history lesson to setting up Rebekah's new smartphone.

Klaus seemed to be under the impression that spoiling his sister would make her forgive him for daggering her and storing her in a box for almost a century. Mackenzie couldn't tell if Rebekah was just superficial or if she was just used to it, but any trace of anger towards her brother disappeared when he gave her a diamond bracelet Mackenzie imagined had cost as much if not more than the apartment they were staying at.

The next morning, Rebekah had insisted they went shopping for new clothes as she was persuaded her brother had picked up the ugliest clothes he had found to mess with her. She didn't believe anyone would wear such things.

She was disappointed when she saw what the shops were selling. In comparison, what Klaus had given her seemed like the best option.

"There has to be more to this dress," she complained from the fitting room.

"There's not," Klaus sighed, bored and annoyed. He was lounging with Stefan on a couch in the middle of the shop, with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a glass in the other.

He had lost count of how many shops they had been to before she had agreed to stop at this one and try on some dresses. She hated everything she saw and had eventually asked Mackenzie to pick up anything she liked.

"So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, then?" she said as she stepped back in the room, wearing a short black dress. "You know I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."

"You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing," Klaus said to his sister before he finished his glass.

"And what is this music, it sounds like a cable car accident."

"It's dance music," Stefan told her.

"People dance to this?"

"Hm," he nodded.

"Are we done?" Klaus asked.

"And why are you so grumpy?"

"I needed one thing from you for my witch to find our why my hybrids were dying. One thing: your necklace. And you lost it."

"I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for 90 years."

Klaus smiled half amused, half drunk.

"So what do you think?" she asked Stefan, turning around to show him the dress.

"I like it," he said, unconvincingly. Rebekah made a face. "What? I said I like it."

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan," she told him before turning towards Mackenzie.

"I.." she shook her head, "I don't like it."

"You picked it," Rebekah reminded her.

"You hated everything I liked," she shrugged. "I was going another way."

Rebekah sighed and rolled her eyes before getting back into the fitting room to change.

"Nice one. Good work," Klaus shook his head.

Mackenzie ignored him. Of all the things she had imagined would happen, this was one unlikely scenario. The normality of it made her uneasy. But no matter how long they spent shopping, she wouldn't forget that the drunk young "man" sitting on that couch had killed Jonas and Luka Martins, Jenna Gilbert, and many many more people.

"What? You pulled the dagger out of her," Stefan told his old new friend.

"I heard that!" Rebekah said.

"All right," Stefan said as he put his glass on the coffee table in front of him. "I'm gonna get some fresh air."

He felt Mackenzie's eyes on him as he walked away. Maybe she was scared to be left alone with the two Originals, maybe she wished she too could just walk out that shop. He didn't really care. He was barely out of the shop when he saw Katherine standing across the street. He made sure Klaus wasn't following him before he went to her.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You two look chummy," was the first thing she said. "Klaus your new bestie."

"If he finds out you're in Chicago, you're dead."

She grinned. "Happy to know that you still care."

Stefan scoffed then shook his head.

"So tell me if I'm wrong: Rebekah's necklace that Klaus is looking for… that's the necklace you gave to Elena."

Stefan smirked. "Bye, Katherine," was his only answer before he started walking away.

"Hey, hey, wait," she stopped him. "You're up to something. Tell me."

Stefan hesitated. "They don't know where the necklace is. I just have to keep them from figuring it out. I have it all under control."

"Please tell me you have a better plan than that," she asked, and the corner of his mouth curved up. "You do?" He didn't answer. "Come one, Stefan. You're not the diabolical type. Whatever you're planning, it's not gonna work."

"Well, if the most diabolical woman I know can't seem to figure it out then I must be doing something right?"

"Uh-uh, I forgot. You're bad now. Don't get too cocky. Klaus is smarter than you. He's smarter than everyone."

Stefan tilted his head as a way of saying goodbye then walked away.

"Look out for her, will you?" she called after him. He turned around and gave her a confused look. "Mackenzie. How did Klaus even get to her anyway?"

"Why do you care?" he asked, surprised she was asking about the witch. "She was at my old place. Klaus is keeping her around because he doesn't want her to free Elijah."

"She shouldn't have been there."

"She was with you?" Stefan raised his eyebrows. "I thought you didn't like witches. Were you trying to set her up or something?"

"No. After Klaus released us I asked her if she wanted to come with me and she said yes," she shrugged.

Stefan chuckled. "I'm beginning to think that girl has a death wish."

"Yeah," Katherine sighed, "I know what you mean…"

* * *

Rebekah ended up buying clothes Mackenzie picked for her. When Stefan returned, they immediately left for Gloria's. They found her in her bar, cleaning tables. She didn't look afraid of the vampires and Mackenzie wondered why. She couldn't imagine anyone being so confident they wouldn't fear the Originals. Even Bonnie who had enough powers to kill Klaus had been smart enough to be afraid of him. But she wasn't about to ask the witch anything, especially since she didn't even bother to look at her, which was a good thing. The last thing she needed was for her to tell Klaus what Mackenzie really was.

Gloria said finding the necklace would be easy enough with Rebekah's help. After all, she had worn it for a thousand years. Sitting at a table, with herbs and a bowl of water in front of her, the witch invited Rebekah to give her a hand. The blonde sat on the table and obeyed. Mackenzie knew the witch was doing a locator spell. What she didn't know was why Stefan looked so nervous about it. After half an hour, Gloria had results.

"I found it."

"Where is it?" Rebekah asked, eager to get her necklace back.

"It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends…"

"Yes, a dead girl with dead friends if I don't get my necklace back."

"Well, I have to dive back in and get the details."

"So dive," Klaus said, moving closer to her, putting a hand on the table and giving her a threatening smile.

"I need more time. And space. You're harshing my juju."

"We can wait," he insisted.

"I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked."

Klaus didn't move, he didn't want to leave. An uncomfortable silence took over the bar. Mackenzie was sure Klaus was about to tear Gloria apart when Stefan intervened.

"Hey, hey. Why don't we just come back later? I'm hungry anyway," he said. "I'll let you pick who we eat."

Klaus grinned, attracted by the offer. "Fine."

Mackenzie wasn't fine, though. She really didn't want to go with them. Three vampires looking for something to eat? She'd gladly stay away. But Klaus wasn't about to let her out of his sight and there was nowhere she could go. She thought about asking if she could stay at the bar but then remembered that staying alone with a witch wasn't in her best interests either.

Klaus picked three girls from the street and they led them back to the storage room where Mackenzie was forced to watch the vampires feed on them. She felt like she was going to be sick.

This storage room had once been her goal. She was exactly where she had wanted to be for the past month. In the same room as Elijah. Unfortunately, there was no way to help him. Klaus would stop her. Rebekah and Stefan wouldn't help. She couldn't use her magic either, she wasn't nearly strong enough to take down three vampires, two of them Originals, one of them a hybrid. It was so hard to be so close yet unable to do anything. Klaus hadn't even allowed her to see him. He didn't want her to know which coffin he was in.

"My girl's dead, I'm bored," Rebekah complained after a while.

"You weren't kidding about being hungry," Klaus told Stefan.

"It's been a long day."

"Try being related to her," Klaus laughed as he turned to look at his sister.

"You're being mean. Why are you being mean? You used to love me."

"It's been 90 years, Rebekah. Give him a minute."

"Why are you taking his side?"

"Because, my dear sister, I feel pity for any man who doesn't give you what you want."

"Will you stop making me out to be a brat. I am not a brat!"

"A thousand years of life experience says otherwise."

Stefan chuckled. "Well, you're no picnic either. I've only spent one summer with you and I feel like I want to blow my head off."

Rebekah laughed. "Fantastic."

Stefan dropped his girl on the floor and got up. "I need to go," he said as he wiped the blood off his lips.

"Where is he going?" Rebekah asked.

"To write a name on a wall, it's a long story," he explained. "Hey! Take the witch with you. She's about to puke all over us."

"Really?" Stefan complained.

"Yes, really, unless you want to clean the mess she's about to make."

The vampire rolled his eyes but gestured for Mackenzie to follow him, which she happily did.

Fresh air did her good, though she couldn't erase the images of the three dead girls in the arms of the vampires. One wrong move and she'd end up just like them.

"Katherine stopped by this morning," he told her once they were outside.

"What?" she faked ignorance.

"She asked me to look after you. I take it I can trust you?"

Mackenzie didn't reply right away. "You can trust me," she said. "But can I trust you?" The Stefan she saw with Klaus, the Stefan she was with at that moment, had nothing in common with the Stefan that she used to know from Mystic Falls. He was arrogant, mean… and drinking human blood. She knew it was Klaus' fault, but she didn't know what he was faking and what he wasn't.

"I guess you'll see, come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Gloria knows Elena has the necklace. I need to make sure she won't tell Klaus."

Elena had the necklace? Mackenzie frowned. How did Elena get Rebekah's necklace? She wasn't about to ask, but she was relieved that Stefan still cared enough to want to protect Elena.

"And how are you going to do that?"

Stefan looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh," Mackenzie's heart skipped a beat.

"So. Can I trust you?"

"You don't really need me to… kill her, do you?"

"No, but I can't take the risk of you slipping out. Klaus would kill me."

Mackenzie tried to prepare herself for what she was about to see. She realized when she stepped inside the bar that she wasn't ready at all, but Gloria was.

"There you are," she said, as if she'd been waiting for them. Well, maybe not for them, but for Stefan at least.

"Thought you were resting," Stefan said as he walked towards her.

Mackenzie chose to stay behind, as far away from them as possible.

"Well, now all of us have a secret," Gloria said as she walked towards the bar. Stefan followed her, taking the bottle she was handing him.

"What did you see?"

"It's what I heard that's interesting. You know the girls with the necklace, they were talking about you."

"Yet you didn't tell Klaus. Why?"

"I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything," she admitted. "The necklace is a talisman from the Original witch herself. I want it."

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Don't be difficult," she insisted. "I'd hate to tell Klaus what a liar his sidekick is."

Stefan thought about it, gave a look to Mackenzie who didn't know what to do or what to say, then he tilted his head, showing Mackenzie what decision he had made. He launched himself at the witch who stopped him without difficulty. She didn't even move a muscle and Stefan was on the ground.

"Guess I'll have to get it out of you the hard way, uh?" she said.

Mackenzie didn't know what to do. She could see Stefan was about to pass out. She had to stop it. She used fire to make the bottles in the shelves behind Gloria explode which sent both her and Stefan away from the bar. Before Gloria had a chance to recollect herself, Mackenzie used wind to send her fly away against a wall. She didn't have the chance to do anything more as Stefan broke the witch's neck.

Mackenzie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Stefan turned around slowly, giving her a baffled look.

"Don't ask," she whispered. And he didn't.

Here she was again. Responsible for someone else's death. She tried to tell herself it was a good thing, because she saved Stefan, probably herself too and it meant Elena was safe, but she couldn't help but feel guilty about it. She felt even worse when she realized that Stefan didn't care at all. Would she one day feel that way? Elijah had told her she'd kill again, that in this world it was kill or be killed, but would she ever kill someone and not think twice about it? She hoped it would never come to that.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice said, making her jump. "Looks like I missed the party."

"Katherine," Mackenzie breathed out, relieved to see her friend.

"Looks like I was worried for nothing."

"Where were you?"

"Around."

"Around? Around?! I waited for you all morning and you never came back!"

"I got busy," Katherine defended herself, "and you don't get to be mad at me when you went around and got yourself caught by Klaus!"

"I…"

"No," she cut her off. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought _you_ were dead!"

"Well this is very nice and heartwarming, but we have a bigger problem here," Stefan stopped them and pointed at Gloria's dead body.

"Right. Let's clean this up. We don't want Klaus to find his dead witch here, he'll get suspicious."

They started to clean up, well, Stefan and Mackenzie started to clean up, while Katherine watched.

"I've been thinking about your diabolical plan."

"Ah? Do tell," Stefan faked his interest.

"You must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you, but the sister, she loves you like it was yesterday. She's the easier mark. But you can't just pretend to care, because Klaus will know better. So you do the opposite. You bond with him. Make her feel left out. That'll only make her want you more."

"Oh, so you mean I'm taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook?"

"The only question is why, Stefan? I mean, I get it, you wanna keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls but what else do you expect to get from it?"

"You know what's funny? You keep talking to me like I actually trust you enough to tell you anything."

"Oh, come on, Stefan. We're beyond that. My witch just saved your life."

"Um, I'm not _your_ witch," Mackenzie protested.

"Sorry. My _friend_ just saved your life."

Stefan scoffed. "Okay. I knew them, back in the 20's. They were running from someone, someone who scared them."

"A hunter," Katherine said, and he nodded. "I heard stories about him centuries ago."

"Don't you wanna know why an Original vampire who can't be killed is afraid of a vampire hunter?"

"If you're planning on making a move against Klaus, I want in."

"That's good. It's good to want things, Katherine."

"Stefan…"

"Katherine," he stopped her, "I'm in this alone. If you're looking for a diabolical partner in crime, I suggest you stick to your weirdly gifted witch over there," he said before he took off with Gloria's dead body.

Katherine sighed. "So, wanna stick around until Klaus gets here or are you coming with me?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

* * *

Mackenzie was amazed by how quick Katherine acted. She had only just heard of the hunter and she was already back in Mystic Falls with a plan to find him. Of course, it didn't hurt that she had been told a little about him before.

It bothered Mackenzie to be on a mission to kill but she would rather be with Katherine than with Klaus and Rebekah. Though, a voice inside her head made her feel guilty for abandoning the blonde to her brother, it was definitely the wisest choice. Especially since Gloria was dead. She wondered how Stefan was going to get out of this one. But Mackenzie had more pressing issues to worry about.

"Do we really need Damon?" she asked, unhappy with Katherine's plans.

"We don't _need_ him but, you know, the more the merrier."

"With Damon it's the more the deadlier," she mumbled.

Katherine laughed. "Was that supposed to be funny?"

"We've been driving for an entire day, I'm exhausted."

"You'll sleep in the car, we're going on a road trip."

"A road trip with Damon Salvatore, yay…"

"Would you rather be with Klaus?"

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "Maybe."

"Well, I got the necklace. Poor Bonnie, she didn't suspect a thing."

They had been back in Mystic Falls for less than a day and they were already ready to leave. Katherine was more than impatient to find that vampire hunter who supposedly scared the hell out of Klaus.

"All we need now is a driver."

"Fine," Mackenzie sighed. "Let's go get Damon."


	16. The Ghosts of the Past

**Hi!**

 **This is the second version of chapter 16 as the fist one completely disappeared from my laptop (along with chapter 17). I'm afraid it's not as good as the first time I wrote it but I hope you can still enjoy it!**

* * *

Mackenzie should be freezing standing there in the cold dark night, but she was too hot with anger to notice. She was disappointed in Katherine and she was disappointed in herself for not only being surprised but also for not seeing it coming.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!" she told Katherine.

"Has she been yapping like that all summer?" Damon asked, annoyed. "Why isn't she dead yet?"

Mackenzie shot a dark look at the vampire who raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. But Mackenzie was beyond caring, if Damon wanted to kill her, he'd be the one getting hurt. Here was that fire Katherine had tricked Mackenzie into awaking. She almost regretted it.

The two vampires were standing next to each other, leaning back against a table of the resting area where they had stopped for a break after having driven for hours. They had their arms crossed over their chests and annoyed looks on their faces like children getting scolded.

"I get it, you're mad," Katherine sighed. "It's no big deal."

"No b-," Mackenzie threw her hands in the air, "you kidnapped Jeremy!" she yelled, pointing at the youngest Gilbert who was sitting on a picnic table behind her. He hadn't said a thing ever since Katherine had let him out of the trunk. At that moment he was more scared of Mackenzie than he was of the two vampires that had taken him against his will.

"We need him," Katherine tried to justify her actions.

"So? You ask him! It goes like this: 'hey Jeremy, help us, please.'"

"'Please'?" Damon repeated with a frown as if he had never heard the word before.

"He wouldn't have come with us," Katherine said. "He'd have said no."

"You don't know that!"

"Um…" Jeremy cleared his throat. "To be fair I would have said no."

Mackenzie put a hand on her hip and gave him a surprised look which made him look away.

"I liked you better when you were afraid of me," Damon said. Mackenzie scoffed. Of course he did. "You're a bad influence," he told Katherine.

"I know. She has a conscience," Katherine said like it was a bad thing. "It's probably why Elijah liked her so much."

Mackenzie relaxed when she heard Elijah's name. She closed her eyes and took a breath. "So why do we need Jeremy anyway?"

"Finally asking the right questions," Katherine said as she sat on the table she was leaning against. "I had a friend, Pearl. Damon you remember Pearl?"

"Vividly." His tone told Mackenzie that she might have been Katherine's friend, but she hadn't been his.

"Centuries ago, she told me about a vampire who knew how to kill Klaus. Then she wouldn't tell me any more."

"Why not?"

"Because it was her leverage. She knew it was valuable information. And she wouldn't share it with me."

"Well, this is all great," Damon nodded, "but she's dead!"

"Which is why I never brought it up. She only ever told one other person."

"Who?"

"Her daughter. Anna."

"Also dead."

"Which brings us right back around to…"

"To me," Jeremy cut her off. "Back around to me."

"Why?" Mackenzie frowned, confused.

"While I was…," she paused, looking for the right word, "retrieving… the necklace from Bonnie, she said something interesting. She said Jeremy had been seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend, Anna."

"You can see ghosts?" Maybe Mackenzie shouldn't be surprised that ghosts exited. Maybe she shouldn't be surprised that some people could see them. But she was. She thought nothing could surprise her anymore, but she might soon learn that that would never be true.

"When I died…"

"You died?" Mackenzie cut him off, Jeremy gave her a reprimanding look for interrupting him. "Sorry..."

"When Bonnie brought me back…" he shook his head, not sure how to say it, "I can see ghosts now," he shrugged.

"Like… any ghosts?" Mackenzie asked. "Are there ghosts here right now?" she turned to look around.

"No, it doesn't work that way. I need to want to see someone who also wants to see me."

"Then want to see Anna," Damon said.

"This isn't gonna work."

"Focus," the vampire instructed him.

Jeremy sighed. He didn't have much choice. He knew what happened when vampires didn't get what they wanted. He closed his eyes and focused.

A couple of minutes passed and both vampires were getting impatient. Mackenzie was getting cold.

"It's okay to help, they're looking for a way to stop Klaus," Jeremy suddenly said at someone behind him.

"What's she saying?" Damon asked.

"She doesn't want to help you."

Mackenzie nodded. Of course she didn't want to help. _That_ didn't surprise her.

Katherine got off the table and went back to leaning against it near Damon.

"My advice?"

"Hmm?"

"If you wanna make an omelet, you have to break a few legs," she whispered so low neither Mackenzie nor Jeremy heard her.

Damon sighed. "Jeremy," he said as he made his way to him, "I just want you to know, it's nothing personal." The vampire seized the teenager by the hair and knocked his head on the picnic table he was sitting at.

"What the hell?!" Jeremy shouted in pain.

"What are you doing?" Mackenzie tried to stop him, but Katherine gestured her to let it go.

Mackenzie gave her a disappointed look to which the vampire rolled her eyes. She was about to use her powers on the eldest Salvatore when Jeremy shouted: "Mikael!" Mackenzie froze when she heard the name.

"Mikael?" Katherine repeated, walking towards them. "Is that his name?"

"Who's Mikael?" Damon asked.

"He's a vampire and a hunter, and you guys would be idiots to wake him," Jeremy answered. "What do you mean 'wake him'?" he then asked his ghost girlfriend.

Mackenzie didn't know what to do. Should she tell them what she knew? It would help. Though, Anna/Jeremy was right. They would be idiots to wake him.

"Is that my phone?" Damon then asked Katherine. "Is that my phone that keeps ringing?"

Mackenzie guessed he was hearing his phone vibrating in Katherine's pocket because she couldn't hear a thing.

"Maybe…" Katherine shrugged.

"Give me my phone, Katherine."

"What? Is it missing Elena hour already?"

"Katherine. Phone. Now."

The vampire sighed but obliged.

"Bonnie's been texting me," Damon said, worried by the amount of texts and missed calls.

"What is it?" Jeremy asked.

"It's Klaus. I gotta go. Stay with her so Anna can guide you," he told Jeremy as he gave him his car keys before he disappeared.

"Klaus is in Mystic Falls?" Mackenzie asked. "Why?"

"No idea," Katherine said. "Let's go."

"Katherine…"

"What?"

"I… I know who Mikael is."

The vampire raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"Elijah told me about him. He's… Mikael is his father."

/-/

Of course Klaus would have daddy issues. Katherine wasn't fazed by the news, though she did find it satisfying to think that Klaus, who had killed her father, would be killed by his own.

They drove all night. The sun had already been up for a couple of hours when they reached the cemetery in Charlottesville, where Anna had told Jeremy Mikael was resting. They found him inside a coffin in a mausoleum, enchained and desiccated.

"Any of you volunteer to wake him up?"

Mackenzie and Jeremy gave the vampire a look which made her roll her eyes.

"Relax. I'm kidding."

"How are you going to wake him up anyway?" Mackenzie asked.

"That's for me to know and for you not to worry about. You can go now. This isn't gonna be any fun."

Jeremy didn't need to be told twice. He turned around and starting walking away but stopped when Mackenzie didn't follow him.

"I… I have nowhere to go," she told them.

"Get yourself a hotel room," Katherine shrugged.

"That's fine," Jeremy said. "We've got a room at home. I'm sure Elena wouldn't mind."

"Oh no. I don't want to…"

"It's fine, Mackenzie. Come on. I just want to go home."

The elemental gave a look to Katherine who waved her goodbye.

"Thank you," she gave a small smile to Jeremy who smiled back.

They walked back to the car in silence. The drive back to Mystic Falls would be long and they wouldn't arrive before noon. Mackenzie was already tired of it.

"How's your head?"

"It's fine," Jeremy sighed, bringing a hand to his bloody hair. "So… you're friends with Katherine now?"

"Yeah…" she said, ashamed that her friend kidnapped him. Feeling responsible somehow, like it was her fault. "Sorry she kidnapped you. I didn't know you were in the trunk."

"How did you two become friends?" he ignored her apology, like he didn't care about being used, like he was used to this sort of situation. Like nothing surprised him anymore.

"I don't know… It kind of happen," she shrugged. "When Klaus left Mystic Falls, we followed him. We've been together ever since."

"We thought you were dead. We thought Klaus killed you."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know."

"You didn't know we cared? Elena felt guilty for your death."

"No… I didn't know you thought I was dead. Katherine went to see Damon before we left. Elena was there. I thought she told them I was with her."

"Well… she didn't."

Mackenzie felt bad now. In truth, she didn't know they cared. It surprised her to hear Elena had felt bad for her. Though maybe it shouldn't. She had just forgotten what it was like to have people care for her.

/-/

A mom. Literally. That's how she felt, that's how it felt like to live in the Gilbert house. Jeremy was right, Elena didn't mind Mackenzie living with them, in fact, she welcomed it. Mackenzie figured the doppelganger wouldn't feel guilty anymore if she knew she was safe at her house. Mackenzie felt weird to be staying in their dead parents' room. She felt even weirder when she realized that it had also been Jenna's room, and that it was the reason why Alaric was sleeping on the couch and not there.

As the only adult in the house, Mackenzie figured Alaric would be the more responsible one. While not being totally reckless, the history professor still drank bottles of whisky passed midnight and woke up hangover almost every morning. She didn't know if he usually cleaned up after himself, but she did it anyway. It reminded her of when she was living with Robert, who usually drank his way to sleep at least twice a week. But at least now she didn't have to fear for her safety. Now she lived with good people who had been through hell and back, and she didn't blame the professor for how much he drank at night.

To thank them for letting her live with them, Mackenzie decided to become their housekeeper. She cleaned, she cooked, she took care of everything; their laundry, their grocery, everything. While Jeremy had no problem with that at all, Elena had told her several times it wasn't necessary, and Alaric had just told her she was good at it. Well, she had practice.

Katherine was still in Charlottesville when Elena and Jeremy went back to school. Neither of them seemed excited for their first day. Maybe it was because Klaus had compelled Stefan to turn his humanity off before leaving town after Damon had name dropped Mikael, leaving Rebekah behind too. _Poor Damon_ , Mackenzie had thought when she heard that they had both taken residence in his house. And poor her, she had thought, when they told her they wanted her to help stop Stefan.

That was how she found herself at the bonfire. She almost found it funny that she had never gone as a student but had to go now that she was a dropout. Well, not exactly a dropout. Katherine had compelled the system into giving Mackenzie her diploma but… still. There was some powerful irony in it.

She had one task: distract Rebekah. Mackenzie hated it. Not because she was scared of her, but because all the moments she had had with her had been forced friendship. She didn't like lying. She didn't like being fake. Rebekah was Elijah's sister, she didn't want to trick her or use her. She wanted to get to know her better, to ask her about Elijah, even maybe about Klaus. She wanted to be nice because she needed someone to be nice to her.

She found the original vampire sitting on a log of wood, in front of a fire, alone. She was eating marshmallows. Or rather, burning marshmallows. Mackenzie smiled.

"You're doing it wrong."

The blonde looked up and raised an eyebrow when she saw Mackenzie.

"Look who it is," Rebekah said, not really happy to see her. "I was wondering when I'd see you again. Where did you run off to?"

"Here," Mackenzie told her as she sat next to her, surprising her.

"Stefan never said how he lost you."

"It wasn't his fault."

"Well, it didn't help his case, especially when he started talking about Mikael."

"Stefan knows about your father?"

Rebekah snapped her head towards the elemental. "How do you know about my father?"

"Elijah told me about him."

"Ah," Rebekah nodded. "Right. Elijah."

"Give me that," she said as she took the stick of wood from the blonde's hand. She removed the burned candy at the end of it and threw it on the ground, then replaced it with a new one.

"I didn't see you at school today."

"I graduated." _Almost_.

"Too bad, I could use a friend."

"I could always help you with your homework," she joked.

"Do I look like I do homework?"

Mackenzie chuckled. "I will never understand why vampires want to spend their immortality going to high school."

"Well I never went to high school," Rebekah explained, "this is a new experience for me."

"Well. Good luck with that."

"So, how did you meet my brother? Nik never said."

"Uh," Mackenzie laughed. She hadn't thought about that day in a while. It seemed like forever ago. "Around six months ago, I… was kidnapped by two vampires. They wanted to deliver Elena to Elijah, to earn their freedom, and… I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Let me guess, Elijah killed them both."

"He killed one of them. The other died of a werewolf bite."

"Nasty," Rebekah grimaced. "What I don't understand is how you became friends. My brother doesn't usually get attach to humans."

"Well…" she cleared her throat. "For one, I'm not human. And… well, he wanted me to help him."

"Help him do what?" the vampire asked as she took the stick from Mackenzie and ate the hot marshmallow. "Mmh, good."

"Kill Klaus."

"You tried to kill Nik?"

"No," Mackenzie shook her head. "I said yes, at first, because I wanted to help Elena. But then… well, I changed my mind. Because… I don't like killing people."

"How human of you."

Mackenzie chuckled. "Sorry?"

"Oh, don't apologize. That's probably the reason why my brother liked you."

"You don't know if he liked me."

"Would you have gone all this way for someone who doesn't like you?"

"I guess not." She hoped not.

"You know, I don't want to be cruel but… you'll probably never see him again. Nik won't undagger him any time soon."

Mackenzie's heart turned in her chest. "And you? Can't you undagger him?"

"So Nik can put that dagger in my chest instead?" she scoffed. "No. I know better than to make my brother angry."

"Surely there's a way for you to help your siblings."

"Nik is the only one of us who can't be daggered. Elijah knew that. That's why he wanted to kill him."

"He wanted to kill him because he thought Klaus had dropped your bodies in the sea."

"He would never!" Rebekah snapped, making Mackenzie jump. She sighed. "Though I can't blame Elijah for wanting to kill Nik. Especially to avenge us."

"Elijah was ready to kill him. You're not even mad he put you in a box for 90 years."

Rebekah chuckled. "You know nothing of my relationship with my brother. I could run from him and it'll end up exactly the same. With me, back in that box. I love my brother. He's the only person I have left. He's not perfect, he has a temper. But then again, so do I. What am I supposed to do?"

Mackenzie couldn't understand. After all, she didn't have anyone left. That feeling of loyalty, she didn't know it. Or maybe, she did.

"Where is Klaus, anyway?"

"No idea. He left me here without even saying goodbye."

"Does he do that often?"

"No, actually. He never does. He's probably off making new hybrids."

Right. He drained Elena of her blood before he disappeared. That won't lead to anything good.

Someone behind them cleared his throat, startling the elemental.

"Time to go," Damon gave her a fake smile. It was the signal. It meant Mackenzie's job was done.

"Walk away, Damon," Rebekah warned.

"I'm sorry," Mackenzie said as she stood up. "He's my ride."

The vampire rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great. This is boring, anyway," she said, throwing the stick on the ground before she walked away.

"What did you do?" he grimaced.

"Me? Nothing. It was going well until you interrupted."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather spend the night with Barbie Klaus?"

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "Just… drive me back to Elena's, please."

"I liked you better when…"

"I was afraid of you, yes, I know."

/-/

Illumination Day. Mackenzie would never understand where Elena and her friends found the energy to keep up with their normal life. She would never understand where they found the courage to leave their house. Caroline and Bonnie were helping hanging lanterns in the town square and Jeremy, Elena and Alaric were having lunch at the Grill. Leaving Mackenzie alone. She preferred it if she had to be honest. She wasn't brave enough to face crazy Stefan, whom they hadn't been able to stop last night. Or to run into Rebekah, who might have figured out that Mackenzie had been a distraction. She would have to make up for that one day, she thought. She probably will, that she wanted to or not. The thought made her shiver.

After finishing up in the kitchen, Mackenzie decided to take a shower. She enjoyed having a bathroom of her own again, Elena's parents' room had its own bathtub. Mackenzie liked taking baths, now more than ever since it was the perfect opportunity to use her water magic. Her plans changed, however, when she saw someone was standing in her bedroom.

She jumped, startled by the sudden apparition. She hadn't heard anyone come in. It was a woman in a hospital gown, unhealthily skinny, with very pale skin. Her bald head was covered with a dark red silk scarf. She had her back turned on Mackenzie and was looking out the window. Mackenzie thought the scarf looked familiar, but it was the slippers she recognized first. They were her mother's favorite. They were an old wretched pair of slippers that were good for the trash, but her mother had always refused to throw them away. She didn't know if it was because of the soft lime color, or if they were just that comfortable, but she never took them off. She died in those slippers.

Mackenzie felt like time had stopped, like her heart had stopped. Even the world had stopped turning. She felt like someone was playing a cruel joke on her or maybe she was simply going crazy. The woman turned around and Mackenzie gasped when she saw her mother's face.

She looked exactly like she had been on the day she died. Except for the bright smile on her face. Aella hadn't smiled much during her final days. The pain was just too much.

"Hello, Mackenzie," she said softly, as to not scare her.

Mackenzie was shaking. A tear fell down her cheek. Then another. And another.

"Mom?" she whispered with a trembling voice. She couldn't believe it. She didn't believe it.

Aella smiled again, then slowly made her way to her daughter. Mackenzie didn't move, too scared that if she did, her mother would disappear. Aella slowly brought her hands to her daughter's face and Mackenzie gasped again at the touch.

"Mom!" she cried as she threw herself at her.

"Oh, Mackenzie. I am so sorry." She stroked her daughter's hair as she cried into her shoulder. "We don't have much time. I don't know when the door will close."

Mackenzie sniffed as she backed away. "What do you mean? How… How are you here?"

"A door has opened. But it won't be opened for long. We have a lot to talk about, Mackenzie. I have so much to apologize for."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm so sorry about Robert. I didn't know he would be like this."

Mackenzie shook the thought away. "It's not your fault." Robert was in the past. He was gone. He was done. She didn't want to talk about him now that her mother was here. There was a lot of things she wanted to talk about, but not this, not him.

"I am so proud of you, Mackenzie. And I am so sorry I wasn't here to guide you. You shouldn't have heard the truth from the mouth of witches."

"You… you put a spell on me."

"I did," she gave her a sad smile, "I had to. I had to protect you. But seeing you with those witches… with that vampire… Oh, Mackenzie. It was my worst nightmare coming true."

 _That vampire._ Elijah. Mackenzie shook her head. "They were nice to me."

"Indeed. But they weren't safe for you."

"Are you… were you like me? An ultimate?"

Aella laughed. "Oh no. Nature and wind were my gifts. You get your power from you father's side."

"Where is my father?"

"I'm not sure. He would have been so proud of you. To have an ultimate as a daughter? You would have been his biggest pride. Just like you were mine."

"But… if you were happy about it…"

"Why hide it from you?"

Mackenzie nodded.

"When I got pregnant, it quickly became clear you were powerful. More powerful than me, than your father. I could feel it. I had to be smart. So, I went to the Holy Forest. I think you've heard about it."

"Yes… I… I remember you telling me stories about it. You called it the Enchanted Forest."

"Well," she laughed. "You were a child. I had to adapt."

"What happened there? Why didn't we stay there if it was so dangerous out here?"

"It's a long story. But when I got there, your great-great-great-..." she paused, "your ancestor, welcomed me. I hadn't seen him in decades. He hadn't changed one bit. His name is Cornelius Fay. He'd seen ultimates before, he knows all about them, and I thought he'd know if I was pregnant with one. He had his suspicions, but he had no way of knowing for sure. It was extremely important to know what you were before you were born. So, he asked Margo, the Queen of the Forest, to call her friends, Pandora and Ambrosia."

"Wait… he… he knows the Queen?"

Aella laughed. "Everyone at the Forest knows Margo. She's very proactive. And the Forest isn't that big. Besides, she had interests in knowing what you were too. Ultimates are rare but they are good allies. When they are on your side."

"So… you knew her too?"

"I did. She's the daughter of the King Alfonso V of Aragon and of one of his mistresses who was a witch. Margo is a very powerful witch herself. And an ally. She's helped many of us escape death."

"Who are Pandora and Ambrosia?"

"Pandora and Ambrosia are sisters. They're very old, maybe the oldest people on earth. They're very powerful witches, way more powerful than Margo. They don't live in the Forest, nobody knows where they are, where they go, but when you call them, they answer."

"What did they say about me?"

"Well, they confirmed you were an ultimate."

"And that was bad news."

Aella smiled sadly. "No, Mackenzie. It was dangerous news. People couldn't know about it, they'd try to kill me, they'd try to kill you. After they told me what you were, they left again, they never stayed around long. So Margo called other friends of hers, Heidi and Alexander. They were tasked to protect me."

"I thought the Forest was a safe place."

"You can never be too careful. Especially you, Mackenzie. Your… grandfather, Cornelius, and Alexander created a spell to protect you. To keep you safe from everyone and everything."

"Cornelius is a witch?"

"Oh no. He's an elemental of nature, like me. He's a Fay. Alexander is…. Something else. A witch, of some sort."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later, if I have time. It's not important right now. The day you were born, Cornelius, Alexander, Heidi and I cast the spell on you. The spell required an elemental and a witch to block both the elemental and witch part of you. We were successful. I left the following week."

"Why?"

"I wanted you to have a normal life. If we had stayed there, everybody would have known who you were, what you were. Word had gotten around that an ultimate had been born. I had to leave."

"And you never told me any of it…"

"No, Mackenzie. I'm sorry. I thought… I thought we'd have more time."

"Who… who would come after me? If they knew."

"Everyone. Vampires, witches… Mostly witches. They hate our kind. They're servants of nature, it controls them, but us, especially us Fays, we control nature. They're jealous," Aella explained. "Mackenzie. You are one of the most powerful creatures on this planet. But if the world knew about it, the world would come after you. And no matter how strong you are, you will never be strong enough to fight the entire world."

"That's why you cast that spell."

"Yes. And I tried to undo it. When you were taken by those vampires, I tried to undo the spell, to give you the tools you'd need to defend yourself."

"That's why… that's why my powers started to manifest themselves."

"Yes. That's why it was so easy for that witch to free you from it. I was glad to see you practice this summer. You have to gain control of your powers. You can't let your emotions control them."

"Like fire. I need to practice my fire."

Aella nodded. "Yes. Fire is one of the most powerful elements out of the primary ones. You have to control it, or it will consume you."

"What about the element of darkness? What is it?"

Aella sighed. She went to sit on the bed, Mackenzie followed her. "There are such creatures as siphons. They are born of witches, but they are considered abominations because in order to use magic they need to steal it from someone, or something. They are so rare, very few people know of their existence."

"How do you know about them?"

"Well. Alexander used to be one."

"He…"

"Yes. But he was turned into a vampire 500 years ago. When witches become vampires, they lose their magic because a vampire is an abomination of nature and a witch is a servant of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. But Alex, being a siphon, became both. He feeds on the magic that made him a vampire, that keeps him alive, and uses it. He's a very powerful creature."

"So… what is he called?" she asked, wondering if Elijah knew about such creatures.

"They're called heretics. But you mustn't tell anyone, Mackenzie. Nobody knows of their existence and they like it that way."

"I… I won't tell anyone. But… what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, that is the element of darkness. You can steal someone else's magic. You could, for example, steal the magic that is keeping Klaus alive, and kill him."

Mackenzie's heart skipped a beat. "I can kill Klaus?"

"Yes. Your vampire friend knew that. That's why he asked you to help him."

"But… he never said…"

"No. When you told him you didn't want to kill anyone he happily agreed. He didn't want to make you do it, because he knew it would be too dangerous. In order to steal someone's magic you need to get into physical contact with them. It is too dangerous. So if you ever decide to rid the world of Klaus for good… I beg you to be prepared. Because it would either be him or you."

"Wait," she remembered something, "when Alaric daggered Elijah that night… I did something, I brought him back."

"Yes, you did. You gave him your magic to bring him back. I wouldn't advise it, Mackenzie. If you give too much magic, you could die."

"That's why I passed out."

"Yes."

"What… what else should I know?"

Mackenzie and her mother talked all afternoon and beyond. They talked about the Forest, about how to get there, about her friends there, about Cornelius and how he managed to keep himself immortal. They talked about her father. Mackenzie didn't know much about him. Aella had never wanted to talk about what had happened between them. She still didn't want to say much. She gave her advice on how to use her powers, how to control nature and wind. She asked how she could cover her scent but was disappointed to hear there was no other way other than vampire blood. They talked, until they couldn't talk anymore.

Midnight was about to strike when her mother stood up from the bed.

"It's time for me to go, Mackenzie. Your friend Bonnie is closing the door."

"Mom, wait!"

"I can't wait. It is out of my control."

"Wait, wait… What… what is the difference between a mermaid and a siren?"

Aella chuckled. "Don't you remember the story?" she asked, and Mackenzie shook her head. "The mermaids saved the men. The sirens ate them."

"I… I don't understand. Why is it so important for me to know? What does it mean?"

Aella smiled. "It means…" but she didn't have time to finish as she disappeared into thin air.

"Mom?" Mackenzie called, but received no answer. "Mom?"

Mackenzie cried herself to sleep that night, like she hadn't done in a while. She didn't hear Jeremy or Elena come home. Didn't hear the wind outside her window.

Mackenzie dreamt of her mother's words. _Know that I'll always be here, Mackenzie. I have never left you, and I never will._

The wind blew strong into the night, making the tree branches dance.


	17. Untrustworthy Creatures

Mackenzie usually felt bad about lying, yet when Elena asked her if she had seen any ghosts the day before, she lied. She didn't feel like talking about it. Somehow, she knew Elena would bombard her with questions and Mackenzie didn't feel strong enough to answer them. She wished Elijah were there. She'd have talked about it with him. She wanted to talk about it with him.

So, instead of talking about her dead mother, they talked about what they had discovered the previous night, thanks to a dead werewolf named Mason Lockwood, whom Damon had killed earlier that year. He had led the vampire into a cave where Alaric had later found carvings dating from way before Mystic Falls was founded. Given the Viking scripts they had found there, and how they translated into names, names they knew too well, they had asked Mackenzie to help them uncover the meaning of it. So, that's how she ended up there, standing in the middle of a dark, cold, humid cave, telling Elijah's story to Elena, Alaric and Damon.

"That's Kol and Finn, Elijah's brothers," she said, pointing at the names on the wall, confirming Alaric's translation. "Mikael is their father. Esther is their mother. They lived among the werewolves as humans before their mother turned them into vampires."

"I take it that's the Original witch," Damon said.

"I guess," Mackenzie shrugged. Elijah had never called her that. "Does Rebekah know you're trying to wake her father?" She wished they wouldn't. Sure, he could kill Klaus, but he also could kill Rebekah, and Elijah.

"Not yet," Elena said. "But I'll tell her when I ask her about all of this."

"Are you sure you wanna do that?"

"I don't have a choice. If we wanna know the truth, we gotta go straight to the source."

"Well…" Mackenzie sighed. "Good luck with that."

* * *

The elemental helped the history professor take pictures of the carvings and then helped him translate them once they were back in his apartment. Bonnie joined them, bringing the Original witch's necklace with her, confirming what Alaric was thinking and translating the symbol that had the same design. Witch. Werewolf. Vampire. That wall told the story of the Original family.

They went back to the cave later that night with Elena who wanted to compare Rebekah's story with the symbols on the walls.

"We filled in what we could," Alaric told her. "We've got vampire, werewolf, slaughter, mayhem, etc," he said as he stuck the post-it notes on the wall.

"That's the white oak tree that was used in the spell to create the vampires," Elena said as she flashed her flashlight over the carvings. "Which means," she continued as she moved her flashlight over the next drawings, "that was when they burned down the tree, destroying the only way they could be killed."

"Yeah," Mackenzie nodded. "We already went over that. The thing I found that didn't coincide with what Elijah told me was this," she said, shedding light over the last symbols on the wall. "Elijah said that his father killed his mother."

"Yeah, Rebekah said the same thing."

"Then I can't explain this," the elemental said. "This is the witch symbol with a bleeding heart: Esther. And this is her, but upside-down."

"Upside-down figures usually signify death of some kind," Alaric explained.

"So, this must be the story of her death. But this symbol," she said, pointing at the one in the middle, "is the symbol for both vampire and werewolf."

"A hybrid," Elena breathed out, coming to the same conclusion as her friends.

Mackenzie nodded. "Mikael didn't kill his wife. Klaus killed his mother."

"I need to tell Rebekah," Elena said.

"Are you crazy?" Alaric asked. "She'll kill you!"

"She deserves to know the truth! If she hears Klaus killed her mother and lied about it, she'll turn on him."

"Or she'll kill you," he repeated.

"I'll go with you," Mackenzie said.

Elena wasn't her friend, Rebekah deserved to have a friend there when she heard that her brother killed their mother. Because Elena was right, she deserved to know the truth. Because Rebekah had been living with an abusive man for a thousand years and Mackenzie related all too well to it. It was time she broke free.

* * *

Mackenzie spent the entire night comforting Rebekah. Alaric had been right, the vampire was ready to kill Elena after she told her the truth about what really happened to her mother. Mackenzie didn't know if it was because she was a vampire and everything was heightened for her, faster for her, but the vampire went through the five stages of grief in one night. First denial, then anger, that was when she had tried to kill Elena, then depression, when she cried all the tears in her body on Mackenzie's shoulder, and finally, acceptance, when she agreed to help them kill Klaus. Maybe, she thought, it was because deep down she knew that her brother would be capable of it. Maybe, she wasn't surprised by it at all.

Mackenzie couldn't help but find it despicable. Using her grief like that, to get her to do what they needed from her, to get her to kill her brother, no matter how despicable that brother was himself, Mackenzie didn't feel good about it at all. In fact, she felt guilty.

Damon and Stefan came through with their part of the plan. As Elena was shattering Rebekah's world and destroying everything she had believed for the past thousand years, the two brothers had been making a deal with Mikael. To Mackenzie's dismay.

Mikael was very motivated and determined. When Mackenzie left Rebekah's bedroom in the morning, while the vampire was still sleeping, she had come across his dead body on the living room floor. He had a dagger in his chest. Stefan, Elena and Damon were standing there, like it was business as usual. And to them, it was.

"We need Klaus to believe his father is dead. We can't risk Stefan's compulsion selling us out," Elena explained.

"Get Rebekah," Damon told the elemental. "Klaus will want to talk to her."

Mackenzie sighed, but nodded. Damon had been right, Klaus had wanted to talk to his sister. And Rebekah had come through. She didn't stay long, though. As soon as Klaus hung up, she went back to her room. She was terrified of her father, even as he laid there, dead, she didn't want to approach him.

Mackenzie wasn't sure if it was because Rebekah cared that much about the homecoming dance, if she wanted to avoid her father, or if she wanted a distraction from the fact that her brother would be dead soon, but she had spent the entire day getting ready for the party. Mackenzie had helped as much as she could. Not being a fan of dances herself, she wasn't a big help, but she tried to distract Rebekah as best as she could. Mackenzie welcomed the distraction too, as she couldn't help but worry about what Mikael would do to the rest of his children once he was done with Klaus.

Rebekah was almost ready. And very early. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress that fitted her perfectly. Mackenzie would never dare wear such a dress, she didn't have the confidence for it. Helping Rebekah get ready for the dance reminded her of the night when she went to the 60's dance with Elijah. One of the last moments she had spent with him. That night too, they had tried to kill Klaus. She wondered if this night would be any different.

"Elijah took you to a high school dance?" Rebekah asked with a laugh as she admired herself in the mirror. "I would have loved to see that."

"Getting a head start, uh?" Elena interrupted. She showed up behind them, leaning against the doorframe.

Rebekah looked up at Elena's reflection in the mirror. "Embarrassing truth," she said with a small smile. "This is my first high-school dance."

"Ever?" the doppelganger asked, surprised, as she stepped inside.

"I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around. Running," she paused, thinking about the reason that they ran for ten centuries was somewhere downstairs. "Anyway. I didn't want to leave anything to chance," she paused again, hesitating. "Have you heard any more from him?"

"No. But I'm sure that when he does return, he'll do it with flair."

"And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know. I just want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael."

"I know it's really hard," Elena said as she approached. "So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town."

"Just be careful," Rebekah warned her, turning around to face her. "I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can."

Mackenzie would have disagreed but decided to keep quiet. After all, she had known Elijah for a month. Rebekah had been his sister for a millennium.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure," she said with tears in her eyes. "I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart."

Mackenzie placed a hand on Rebekah's shoulder and the vampire shook her head, then turned back to the mirror.

"No tears. I don't want to ruin my makeup," she smiled sadly. "How do I look?"

"You look amazing," Elena told her. "But you're missing one thing," she said as she took out Rebekah's mother's necklace from her jeans pocket. "You should wear it tonight." Rebekah smiled. "May I?" the doppelganger asked permission to put it around her neck and she nodded.

Mackenzie stepped back to give them space. She could see Rebekah was very emotional, but she was happy to see her smile.

"Thank you," she told Elena as she brought a hand to her necklace.

But as soon as she touched it, a gasp of pain escaped her. Mackenzie jumped, startled by the sudden movement, confused by what had just happened. It took her a second to understand that Elena had just stabbed Rebekah in the back, with a silver dagger.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm so sorry," Elena said, "I can't leave anything to chance either."

Mackenzie instinctively stepped forward, trying to stop Rebekah from falling, but Elena got in her way.

"We can't let her help Klaus."

"She wasn't going to help him!" Mackenzie shouted. "She trusted you! How could you do that?"

"I couldn't risk it."

Mackenzie didn't know what to say, what to do, what to think. She was frozen to the spot, staring at Rebekah's desiccated body lying at her feet. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe Elena would do such a thing. Rebekah didn't deserve it. She had helped, she was on their side, she was looking forward to the homecoming dance and Elena just stabbed her in the back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mackenzie snarled, ignoring her blood boiling in her veins. She took a step forward and the look on her face made Elena step back, but she didn't get the time to take another step as two hands grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the bed.

"Now don't make me do something you'll regret," Damon threatened her as he pinned her hard against the mattress.

Mackenzie effortlessly pushed him away with her magic. She heard Elena gasp as the vampire's back met with the ceiling, leaving a considerable dent. He groaned as he tried to get up, but Mackenzie ignored him. She stood up from the bed and was about to make her way towards Rebekah, planning on removing the dagger, when someone else appeared in the room and stopped right in front of her.

"Calm down, Mackenzie," Katherine ordered her. "This isn't a good idea."

"You're right. It was a terrible idea and now I'm fixing it."

"You can't," Elena begged. "She'll work against us!"

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you stabbed her in the back!"

"She'll kill me!"

"Maybe you deserve it!" Mackenzie barked at the doppelganger.

A heavy silence took over the room. Katherine watched Damon in the corner of her eye, just in case he decided to do something _he_ 'll regret. Elena and Mackenzie looked at each other like they were strangers. They didn't recognize who was standing in front of them. Elena spoke first.

"You're right. What I did is wrong. And I'm not proud of it. But I couldn't take the risk. I just… I just couldn't. Klaus _has_ to die tonight. He's done too much."

The elemental stared at the doppelganger, contemplating setting the house on fire. But then her mother's words echoed in her head. _You can't let your emotions control you. You need to control the fire, or it will consume you_. Mackenzie sighed, closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. Elena wasn't wrong. She wasn't right, but she wasn't wrong. Klaus had done too much. He had daggered Elijah, he had killed Jenna, had turned Tyler into a hybrid, had turned Stefan into a ripper… It didn't make it right, but she understood why she had done it.

"Good luck with tonight," Mackenzie whispered before she walked away without giving anyone a single look.

* * *

Mackenzie was a terrible friend. On the three friends she had made this year, two of them had ended up being daggered in front of her and she hadn't been able to help either of them. She was one of the most powerful creatures on this planet, and she couldn't even keep her friends alive. _What a joke._ No matter how hard she tried to calm herself, she couldn't. It didn't help that she was driving back to Elena's house.

She felt conflicted. On one hand, she wished they'd fail tonight, because of what they did to Rebekah, on the other, if Klaus died, it would be easier to get Elijah back, that is, if Mikael didn't kill him first.

Trying to cool down (literally), Mackenzie drew herself a bath. Water always calmed her. If fire made her hot-tempered, water did the exact opposite. But tonight, even water couldn't calm her worry. She had left so fast that she hadn't even bothered to ask why Katherine was there. She wondered what part of the plan she was a part of.

She fell asleep in the bath and was awaken by someone knocking on the front door. When she got out, she realized it was over midnight. Whoever it was would tell her if Klaus was dead, or if everybody else was.

She quickly put on an old robe and went to open the door. She was relieved to see her friend was standing on the other side, unharmed.

"Are you still mad at me?" was the first thing Katherine said.

"Depends. Did you know she'd do that?"

"No idea. She acted on her own," she said, like she was impressed.

"Is Klaus dead?"

"Not even a little," Katherine sighed.

Mackenzie didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed. "What happened?"

"Elena will tell you. I'm leaving town, I just came to say goodbye."

"Where are you going?"

"Far, far away. Klaus will kill me on sight."

Mackenzie nodded, understanding why her friend had to go, but not happy about it. Katherine was about to leave but before she could walk away, Mackenzie moved to hug her.

"I'm gonna miss you."

It took a few seconds for Katherine to hug her friend back.

"Don't do anything stupid," was the vampire's last words before she disappeared into the night.


	18. Deadly Jealousy

The tension was palpable. Elena, Bonnie and Mackenzie were at the Grill and a cold silence had settled between them. Mackenzie hadn't said a word to Elena ever since she had come back earlier that morning. The doppelganger had tried to apologize, but Mackenzie didn't want an apology. She didn't need one. It was Rebekah she should apologize to. The fact that Stefan had screwed up their plans and saved Klaus, allowing the hybrid to kill his father, didn't change a single thing.

"So," Bonnie eventually said. "This is fun."

Mackenzie looked away. She had nothing to say.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, and I understand, I deserve it. I just…"

"I don't want to hear it," Mackenzie said. "There's nothing you can say that would make this better, Elena."

"I'm having nightmares!" Bonnie blurted out to change the conversation. Both pair of eyes turned to her. "Every time I close my eyes, I have that nightmare on repeat. Four coffins, Klaus is in one of them."

"It's called wishful thinking," Mackenzie said.

Bonnie chuckled slightly.

"What if it's not just some dream? What if it's like, you know, a witch dream?" Elena suggested.

"It's just stress. I'll figure it out," Bonnie shrugged. "What about Stefan? Has there been any sign of him?"

"He betrayed us, Bonnie," Elena shook her head, like she didn't want to talk about him at all, "the Stefan that we knew is gone."

"How's Damon handling it?"

"Damon is… Damon," Elena sighed. "You know him. He'll drink, do something stupid and we'll fight and repeat."

"Well, good luck with that," the witch said as she picked up her bag that was hanging from one side of her chair, "I gotta go."

"See you later."

"Bye, Bonnie," Mackenzie gave her a small smile before she left.

Elena sighed. "Look, can we talk?"

"About what?"

Mackenzie wondered where this spite was coming from. She usually was a forgiving person. Perhaps, she thought, this was just unforgivable. Perhaps, she didn't care what happened to her, but she cared about what happened to others. Perhaps, the fire inside of her was just too strong.

"Look, I don't feel good about what I did."

"But you did it anyway."

"Yes, I did. And I'd do it again. Because she could've turned on us."

"Yeah, because last night was such a success."

Elena frowned. She didn't recognize this side of Mackenzie. Where was the shy girl who acted like she wished she could become invisible? She wondered if that was the result of spending a summer with Katherine Pierce.

"You're right," Elena nodded, "it was wrong of me to do that. It's one of the worst things I have ever done."

"I told you, you don't need to apologize to me."

"I just don't want us to fight."

"I'm mad at you Elena. I'm gonna need some time to get over it."

Elena nodded. "I understand. I'll give you your space."

* * *

Jeremy got fired a week before, and somehow that was now Mackenzie's problem. Not that she was complaining. She was leaving under their roof, after all, for free. The least she could do was be supportive and help plan an intervention. Besides, it felt good to be a part of something other than supernatural drama. Cooking with Alaric, setting the table with Elena, it felt… like home. Elena had kept her word and gave Mackenzie space. Or, at least, as much space as she could give her since they lived under the same roof.

"You ready?" Alaric asked the eldest Gilbert.

"Vampires, hybrids and Originals? No problem. My rebellious brother? I'm worried."

"At least you have a brother to be worried about," Mackenzie said. She didn't realize it might have come out wrong and bitchy, she just wanted Elena to appreciate how lucky she was to have a family and a history professor so dedicated he was almost like a parent to her. "Sorry… I didn't mean to be harsh."

"No, it's okay," Elena smiled. "You're right."

Jeremy entered the house through the front door and somehow Elena looked even more nervous than when she was planning to kill the worst paranoid psychopath in history.

"Just in time," she said. We're cooking."

"Sorry, just passing through," he said as he opened the fridge.

"Oh, well I thought we'd all stay in… have a meal together like a typical… atypical family…" Alaric stuttered.

Mackenzie suppressed a laugh.

"Why?"

"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone," Elena answered.

It wasn't so hard to suppress that laugh anymore.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."

Alaric and Elena straightened up. "Wait," the professor said, "when did you start hanging out with Tyler?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, Jeremy, it matters. He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous!" his sister said.

Jeremy chuckled. "He can still hear you, he's right outside. Besides, you of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?"

"What is with the attitude?"

"Whatever. This is lame. Tyler's waiting," he said before he started walking away.

"No. Oh, no, no, no, no. You're not going anywhere, especially not with Tyler," she stopped him.

Jeremy looked at Alaric for help, but found none.

"Fine, you want us to stay in, then let us all stay in," he said, "Yo, Tyler, come on in!" he called for the hybrid who walked right through the front door.

Maybe it wasn't so bad being an orphan after all, Mackenzie thought.

Tyler walked towards them and sat at the table, invited by Jeremy who sat next to him.

"This is weird," Elena chuckled humorlessly, "Klaus has hybrids stalking me, now you're just sitting in our kitchen."

"Look, maybe I should go," the hybrid said as he got up.

"No, stay, you're not doing anything," Jeremy insisted.

"Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master," Elena said.

Tyler laughed. "It's not like that, Elena."

"Tell me, Tyler," Alaric said as he sat down at the table, "what is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"

"Compulsion, that's just mind control. Like hypnosis. Being sired is…" he paused, looking for the words, "it's like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing."

"So, do you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" Elena asked.

"I don't serve him. Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that."

"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" Alaric asked.

"He wouldn't," he said, as if he was sure of it, "And even if he did, I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid."

"Okay, so, what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?"

"Again, he wouldn't."

"But what if he did?"

"I don't know! Then I'd rip out my heart!"

Mackenzie almost jumped on her chair. She looked up at Elena who practically had the same look on her face. That sirebond business was worse than she had previously thought.

"You guys sound like Caroline. Getting freaked out over something you don't understand."

"You're right, Tyler, I don't understand. Klaus has terrorized every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him?"

"You're overthinking it. I can still make my own decisions."

Mackenzie took a good look at Tyler, studying the magic that was keeping him alive, giving him his power. She wondered if she could remove that part of him that felt loyal to Klaus. She had no idea how she'd do it, but she wondered if it were possible. Her thoughts were cut short though as Jeremy's phone rang.

"What was that about?" his sister asked when he returned.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"I gotta go," Tyler told them. "Thanks for the food offer but um… next time," he said before he left.

"Well, that was illuminating," Alaric said once the hybrid was gone. He took his plate and walked over to the sink, Elena followed him.

"So, Tyler Lockwood is a lunatic who has access to our house."

"I mean… this whole sirebond thing is wild."

"Jeremy?" Mackenzie said as the teenager removed his ring and walked out of the room.

"Jer?" Elena called after her brother, but he didn't respond. "Where are you going, Jeremy?"

They followed him outside where he stopped in the middle of the road.

"Jeremy are you okay?" Mackenzie asked.

"What is he doing?" Elena wondered.

They heard a car approaching, they could hear the tires screeching, it was driving fast.

"Jeremy!" Elena shouted. But her brother didn't move.

Mackenzie didn't know if she could do it, but she tried anyway. She waved her hands, trying to do something, anything, that would make the car change its course and save Jeremy. The car turned on its side and went crashing into two parked cars, leaving Jeremy unharmed.

"Oh my God," Elena breathed out before she ran towards her brother.

A young man, Mackenzie recognized to be a hybrid, managed to get out of what was left of his car, he too was unharmed. Before he had the chance to do anything, Mackenzie decided to use fire to boil his blood and water to drown his lungs. One of Katherine's favorite moves.

"What are you doing?" Alaric asked.

"It won't kill him," she answered. "But it'll stop him for a while," and right after she said the last word, the hybrid was lying unconscious in the middle of the road.

* * *

Barely an hour had passed when Damon arrived at the Gilbert house. The hybrid was gone. The authorities were taking care of the crashed cars outside. (Un)fortunately, there were no witnesses.

"What a mess," he said. "You did that?" he asked Mackenzie, as if he couldn't believe she had helped, somehow. Though, it shouldn't surprise him after what had happened on the previous night.

"Yes. She took down Klaus' hybrid too," Alaric informed him.

"You killed him?"

"No. Knocked him out."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Lame."

He gave Jeremy a look then frowned. "Why aren't you wearing vervain? Where's your bracelet?"

Given the look on his face, Jeremy was obviously unaware he had lost his anti-compulsion accessory.

"I don't know."

"It was Tyler," Elena sighed. "It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with you. To get you off the vervain."

"Klaus is trying to send a message. He wants us to find Stefan, he stole coffins full of his dead family members."

"Coffins?" Elena asked with a confused frown.

"What did you just say?" Mackenzie asked as she approached the vampire.

"Stefan stole Klaus' family and he wants them back."

"Stefan has Elijah?"

"Yep."

"Where is he?"

"Don't know. Yet. All we have to do is find four coffins and… voilà. No one else on your family's Christmas list has to die," he told Elena.

"Give me something that belongs to Stefan," Mackenzie said. "I'll do a locator spell."

"Wait, wait," Elena stopped her. "How many did you say there were?"

"Four."

"Four. Bonnie. She has nightmares about four coffins. It can't be a coincidence."

"Yeah but in her dreams, Klaus is in one of them," Mackenzie reminded her.

"So? It could still be the same coffins."

"Actually," Damon cut them off, "maybe, one of them has the answer we're looking for. Maybe, one of them can kill Klaus," he offered with a smile.

Elena nodded. "I'm gonna call Bonnie."

"Good idea."

* * *

It was late in the day. The sun was slowly setting behind Damon, Elena and Mackenzie as they walked through the empty field towards the abandoned house of the witch burial ground. Mackenzie had never seen it, though she remembered it was from that place that Bonnie had gotten the extra power she was planning on using to kill Klaus. Listening to Damon, it was a haunted house plagued with the spirits of dead witches who hated him. And from what she heard, the feeling was mutual. The house was bigger than she expected, but less scary than Damon had let it to be.

Mackenzie could feel the power of the house from a mile away. It only grew stronger as she approached it, making her feel more and more uncomfortable. She shouldn't have been surprised though, considering it was that power that could've have killed Klaus if Elijah had gone through with the plan.

Elena and Damon didn't hesitate before entering the old house, but something made Mackenzie slow down.

"Are you coming?" Elena asked, gesturing her to follow her.

Mackenzie shouldn't be hesitating, after all, if Bonnie's information was good, Elijah was lying in a coffin somewhere in that house.

"Stefan?" Elena called as she explored the first floor.

"Ah!" Mackenzie heard Damon groan before she saw him throw himself against the wall, his face red and burning.

"What happened?"

"The witches, they're messing with my daylight ring."

Mackenzie instinctively stepped towards the vampire who was trapped in a small corner of shadows. She wanted to shield him from the sun but didn't even have the opportunity to get close to Damon as about three feet away from the doorstep, Mackenzie became paralyzed, completely unable to move. It only took a second for the pain to seize her entire body. A scream escaped her, so loud, so sudden, she didn't even realize she was its source. She could barely hear it. She could only feel. Feel the fire in her veins, the water in her lungs, the electricity in her brain. The elements were turning against her. The witches were torturing her.

She didn't hear Elena call out her name or Damon ask her what was wrong. She didn't feel the two strong hands on her arms which dragged her outside. The pain stopped immediately. As soon as she was out of the house, it was gone.

She gasped as if she had been drowning, she was red as if she had been burning, she was shaking as if she had just been electrocuted. She fell on her knees, feeling weak, feeling like she was going to pass out. She couldn't feel the tears falling down her cheeks, she couldn't hear the cries coming out of her mouth, she couldn't see Elena and Damon trying to get her attention. She saw black, she saw white, some spots of yellow, some spots of red.

She breathed heavily, panting as she fell forward. She caught herself with a hand, hurting herself, maybe it was sprained, maybe it was broken, she couldn't tell. That pain was easy, that pain was nothing compared to what she had just endured. She couldn't tell how long it had lasted. If she had been asked, she'd have answered hours. But to Damon and Elena, it hadn't even been 10 seconds.

"What the fuck happened?" Damon growled. "Did you piss off a bunch of witches or something?"

 _Jealous bitches._

 _You control nature, nature does control you._

 _Burn it. Burn it to the ground._

 _Destroy them._

 _Tear them apart._

 _Burn it. Turn it to flames. Turn it to ashes._

The voices in her head sounded familiar, maybe it was hers, maybe it was someone else's. The fire in her veins returned but this time it didn't hurt. This time she welcomed it. Welcomed the power, welcomed the flames. But she didn't let it out. She had a secret to keep. Those witches would be too glad if she outed herself. If the world knew who she was, what she was. She'd have the entire world coming for her, and like her mother had said, nobody was strong enough to fight the entire world. So, she extinguished the fire and only calm water remained. The tears on her cheeks kept falling as she tried to slow down her breathing.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, trembling, probably because of fear.

"No," she breathed out, "they tried to kill me," she sniffed.

"But why?" Damon wondered aloud, still feeling uneasy from her screams of pain. Even he had rarely heard screams like these.

"I don't know," she lied. "Maybe they don't like the fact that I want to help Elijah."

"No, I don't think they'd do that," Elena said, realizing she didn't actually know.

"Go," Mackenzie told them. "Find Stefan. Find Elijah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Elena, I'll be fine, I just… I just need a minute."

Elena gave a concern look to Damon who nodded.

"I'll stay with her, I'm not welcomed inside the house either anyway."

Elena hesitated but eventually walked back inside the house, on alert, wondering if the witches could do the same thing to her.

Damon watch Elena disappear inside before he sat down next to Mackenzie. He gave her a couple of minutes before he asked: "Maybe your parents did something horrible and they're punishing you for it," he shrugged.

"Maybe," Mackenzie sighed as she laid down on the grass, looking up at the orange sky. "Is he inside?" she asked, knowing he was listening.

"Yup. It's not going well…"

"Are the coffins there?"

"No idea."

"I think I'm going to pass out."

"Don't worry about it," was the last word she heard before darkness overtook her.

* * *

When Mackenzie woke up, she was in her bed, in Elena's house. Elena was there, sitting next to her, writing in her journal. She could see through the window that it was nighttime.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Elena asked with a soft voice.

Mackenzie groaned. She felt like that time she had woken up after having drunk all night with Katherine. She had a terrible migraine, and her entire body hurt.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. You've been asleep for over six hours."

Mackenzie sighed then rolled on her side towards Elena.

"Did you find the coffins?"

"No. Stefan… was uncooperative."

"Did Klaus try to kill anyone else?"

"No. I gave him Rebekah back."

"Oh, that's good," Mackenzie wanted to be happy, but all she really wanted to do at that moment was sleep. "So, if the coffins aren't in the house, you don't mind if I burn it down, then?"

Elena laughed, unsure if she was joking or not. "Well, Stefan is hiding in there so, you'd have to go through him first."

"Mmh. Maybe I'll burn him down too."

"You sound like Katherine, you know that?"

"I know…"

"She's a bad influence."

"I don't know. She's survived Klaus for 500 years. I'm sure she could teach us a thing or two."

"That's certainly one way to see it."

"So… what's the new plan then?"

"Now? Well… Jeremy is leaving for Denver in two days. It's too dangerous here for him."

"He's leaving? He's leaving you behind?"

"I had Damon compel him…" Elena confessed, and Mackenzie didn't insist as she heard regret and guilt in her friend's voice.

"You did the right thing, Elena. He'll be safer in Denver."

"I didn't know what else to do… There is no other plan. Klaus is here, he won't leave until he gets his family back and Stefan…" she sighed, "Stefan's not giving them back so… I think things are only about to get worse."

"Worse? How can they possibly get worse?"


	19. Dying to Survive

" _How could things possibly get worse?"_

Mackenzie scoffed as she remembered what she had told Elena a few nights ago. She wanted to kick herself, as if she had summoned it, as if everything that had happened ever since was her fault.

Klaus told Tyler to bite Caroline and she almost died on her birthday.

Stefan kidnapped Elena and threatened to kill her if Klaus didn't send his hybrids away.

Jeremy left.

There was a non-vampire murderer in Mystic Falls killing council members.

Things got worse. Things got way worse.

And they weren't getting any better as the days went by. Mackenzie couldn't leave the house, she was almost certain every vampire/hybrid in town could smell her, including Damon, who hadn't been subtle about it.

"Why do you smell like cotton candy in an attraction park on a sunny day?"

Now she had no idea what to say to that, and she wasn't about to tell him the truth.

"Um, Damon? What are you doing?" Elena asked, thinking he was flirting.

"Seriously," he insisted, "why do you smell so good? I want to eat you for dessert."

"Damon!" Elena scolded him.

"Relax, I won't do it. But not every vampire in town has my self-control," he told her was a warning.

Mackenzie nodded. He didn't need to tell her not to leave the house, she wasn't planning to.

"What is he talking about?" the doppelganger asked after he'd gone.

"I have no idea," she lied. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, Bonnie's ready to go."

"Have a nice trip then."

"Thanks. I'll text you once we get there."

'There' being Bonnie's estranged mother, whom Bonnie wasn't too excited about seeing again, but whom she needed to perform a spell that would unlock Klaus' mysterious coffin. Out of the four that Stefan had taken, one of them was closed, locked by a powerful spell that Bonnie had been trying to break for days, but to no avail. Damon and Stefan were hoping it contained a weapon powerful enough to kill Klaus.

Mackenzie had asked so many times for Stefan to undagger Elijah, but he always refused. She'd have gone and done it herself if she weren't scared to death of stepping foot in that horror house again.

Night fell on Mystic Falls and Mackenzie still hadn't heard from Elena or Bonnie or anyone, for that matter. She told herself she wouldn't start worrying until midnight. Around 10, the front door opened, and Mackenzie was surprised to see Alaric walk in, and he wasn't alone.

"Hey, Mackenzie."

"Hi, Ric."

"Um, this is Meredith."

"I'm Doctor Meredith Fell, nice to meet you," she smiled at the elemental as she held out a hand.

Mackenzie took it as she smiled back. "Nice to meet you too. I'll… leave you to it…" she said before walking up the stairs and into her room.

About two minutes later, Mackenzie heard the front door open and close. Elena was home. She was relieved that she was safe and thought she had had a long enough day already and decided to hold off on the questions. She changed into her nightwear, a pair of silk blue shorts that belonged to Elena and an oversized shirt that Jeremy had given her on her first night in this house.

As per usual, the next morning, Alaric was hangover, looking for aspirins in Elena's kitchen and Elena had just come back from her early morning run. The doppelganger had once asked her if she wanted to join her, but she had to politely refuse, telling her she didn't like running, which wasn't exactly a lie, but wasn't the full truth either. If she went out, she'd probably get attacked by a vampire, and if she were with someone else, she'd condemn that person too. She couldn't take the risk.

Elena had told her all that had happened on the previous night, including Klaus getting three of his coffins back, including Elijah, and Bonnie's mom being unable to practice magic.

"I thought she was supposed to help Bonnie do a spell?"

"Yeah, well… it's gonna take a while," Elena sighed. "Anyway, I gotta go."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to ask Stefan if he's the one who's been killing all of these people, lately."

"He wouldn't."

"You know, I've come to learn that there are very few things Stefan wouldn't do. See you later."

And here she was. Alone once again. Or so she thought. About two minutes after Elena had left, someone came knocking on the door. Mackenzie was worried and scared to open. She didn't expect anyone, and it could be a vampire attracted by her scent. In fact, she knew it was a vampire, she could feel it. But she wasn't sure who it was. It wasn't Stefan, it wasn't Damon. It wasn't a regular vampire, but it wasn't a hybrid either. And it wasn't Klaus. Maybe it was Rebekah, or maybe…

"Oh my God," she gasped when she opened the door. She couldn't believe it. She had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real.

"Ms. Alemaund," Elijah grinned.

She shook her head, confused and confounded. She brought a hand to his chest, where a dagger had been when she last saw him. She had done it so fast she hadn't realized how hard she'd hit him, and it almost took his breath away. When she touched him, when she realized he was real, that he was there, she quickly threw her arms around his neck.

"You're back," she whispered.

Elijah chuckled. "You've grown strong."

Mackenzie let him go when she realized how tight she was hugging him.

"How are you… what are you… when…"

"Damon Salvatore," he cut her off, "removed the dagger from my chest before giving me back to my brother."

Damon Salvatore, out of all people, had freed Elijah. Something she had been wanting to do for six months.

"I hadn't realized you were still…" he paused, "alive, until I smelled you a few minutes ago. I was convinced my brother had…"

"No," Mackenzie didn't let him finish, "no, he… he let me go. He said… he said you'd be mad he daggered you and he didn't want to make it worse by killing me."

"That never stopped him before," he mumbled. "I am… I'm happy to see you are unharmed."

Mackenzie smiled. She felt liberated, somehow, like the weight that she carried on her shoulder had disappeared now that he was back. She couldn't help it and hugged him again.

"I missed you so much," she said, and he could almost hear the tears burning her eyes. He hugged her back, a little taken aback. It had been decades, centuries even, since someone had cared for him that much. It pained him to know he had caused her so much trouble.

"I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Mackenzie," he said as he let go of her. "I should've known better."

She frowned, not sure about what he was saying. "It's not your fault," she said. "Do you… do you want to come in?"

He nodded. "Is Ms. Gilbert here?"

"No, she just left. We're alone," she answered before she closed the door.

"I'm surprised to find you here."

"Yeah, well… I live here now."

He raised his eyebrows. "Since when?"

"Almost a month."

"Where were you before that?"

"Um…" she chuckled. "With a friend."

He gave her another confused look.

"It's a long story," she said. "How long have you been back?"

"Since last night. I met with Damon earlier today."

"Let me guess. He wants your help to kill Klaus."

"Indeed. He told me about his last attempt, how his brother came in the possession of my family."

"Stefan's mad at Klaus for compelling his humanity away. And… everything else."

"Understandable."

"So… are you going to help him?"

"Well. I have agreed to a meeting. A dinner, tonight, with my brother and his. Niklaus is under the impression that they want to make a truce."

"You're uh…" she cleared her throat. "What about you and Klaus?"

"My brother tried to trick me again, by telling me more lies. Trying to convince me to work with him to destroy Stefan. He thinks I'm on his side."

"Do you… do you know that he…" she paused, no sure how to say it.

"That he killed my mother? Yes, he told me. It didn't help his cause, but I suppose he knew I'd hear about it soon enough."

"So, you do have a plan."

"I'm working on one," he nodded.

"Well… just… don't get yourself killed again," she laughed uncomfortably.

"I won't. I won't make the same mistake again," he said, as he cupped her cheek with his hand.

She put her hand over his before she buried her face in his chest, sliding her hands behind his back. He smelled like him. He smelled like home. He rested his chin on the top of her head, hugging her back.

"I didn't know what to do without you," she confessed. "I tried to get you back."

"You did?"

She didn't want to tell him. She was still convinced that going after Klaus was the stupidest thing she had ever done.

"How's Rebekah?" she asked, changing the subject.

He released her from his embrace and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "You've met my sister?"

"Yes. Elena said Klaus had her. He didn't remove the dagger?"

"No. My sister is still in her coffin."

"Can't you help her? Can't you help your siblings?"

He smirked. "That's the plan."

Mackenzie smiled back. Finally, a plan she could get behind. She was about to ask for more details when her phone rang.

"I'm sorry."

"Please," he shook his head, "answer it."

She took her phone out of her pocket and read Elena's text messages.

"Oh my God," she breathed out.

"What's wrong?"

"Caroline's father was murdered. He's in transition. He won't complete it."

"Murdered?" he frowned. "By whom?"

She shook her head. "Someone's been killing council members lately… I… I have to go," she said. She wanted to be there for Caroline, but then remembered she couldn't leave the house.

"Allow me," he told her, as if he had read her mind, before he bit his wrist.

It felt weird to acknowledge it, but she had missed it. Being in his arms while he fed her his blood, how he held her, how he put his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent until he couldn't smell it anymore. She leaned back against his chest and enjoyed being close to him again.

"Thank you," she said before she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I wish I could stay but…"

"Go to your friend," he gave her a small smile. "I will be back tonight."

She hesitated, but eventually smiled back, tiptoed and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tonight," she said, as a way to confirm it.

As a promise.

* * *

Mackenzie knew exactly how Caroline felt. Waiting around for someone to die, a parent to die, was agony. Not being able to be there with them, not being strong enough because it hurt too much, but feeling guilty for not spending their last moment with them. That's how she felt as she was sitting on her porch in the dark night with Elena and Mackenzie.

"Did you hear back from Tyler yet?" Elena asked.

"No. And I've left messages for him everywhere…" she shook her head, confused and angry about her boyfriend not being there when she needed it the most. "So does Alaric really thing that Dr. Fell did it?"

"He doesn't know what to think."

"What about you?"

Elena scoffed. "I wish the girl Alaric liked wasn't in the middle of all of this… He deserves to be happy… But yeah… she looks guilty. That's why I told your mom."

Caroline nodded slowly, taking in the information, wondering what she would do about it.

"My mom's in there sitting with my dad…" she paused, then chuckled humorlessly, "I don't think they've been in the same room this long since I was 10 years old."

A long silence settled between them, during which neither Elena nor Mackenzie dared say anything.

"I can't just let my father die…" Caroline eventually said, "I'm gonna force him to feed."

"You don't mean that," Mackenzie said softly.

"He doesn't want to, Caroline," Elena told her. "The only thing your dad has left is his choice."

The vampire wiped the tears off her cheeks. She knew that. She knew it would be wrong to take that choice away from her father. But she couldn't help but try to find a way to save him.

Matt arrived a few minutes later and joined them on the porch. They sat in silence for about an hour. Caroline didn't need to talk, and she didn't need people to talk to her. Silence was fine, silence was perfect. Actions speak louder than words, and her friends being there for her in one of the most difficult moment of her life meant everything to her.

Eventually, it was time for Caroline to be with her father, and Matt drove Elena and Mackenzie back to the house. They carried with them their friend's grief, and they all wished there was something more they could have done.

Mackenzie hadn't told anyone about Elijah, she didn't even know if Damon had told Elena. But she figured now wasn't the right time to bring it up.

When they stepped inside the house, it was dark and quiet. Elena tried to turn the lights on but was unsuccessful.

"That's weird," she said.

"Electricity must be out," Matt guessed as he followed the girls inside.

Elena sighed. She went to the kitchen to get flashlights and gave one to each of them.

"I think I have some candles over there," she said as she made her way around the counter. "Oh my God," she gasped as she almost stepped into a pool of blood.

"What the hell?" Matt breathed out.

Mackenzie thought she was about to be sick. There was so much blood, there was no way whoever's blood that was had survived.

They looked around and noticed a bloody handprint on the wall. They armed themselves with a kitchen knife before they followed the blood trail. It led them upstairs, where they found Alaric sitting against the wall, unconscious, with a knife in his stomach.

"Ric!" Elena breathed out as she kneeled next to him, dropping the knife, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

"He's alive," Mackenzie said as she positioned herself on Alaric's other side.

"Ah!" he groaned as he tried to remove the knife from his body.

"Leave it in," Elena instructed him.

"He's lost too much blood," Matt told them. "I'm gonna call 911."

"Ric, look at me. Who did this to you?" Elena asked.

"I don't know," he whispered.

"Oh my God, there's a lot of blood," Mackenzie said with a lump in her throat, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know, I know," he said, trying to call for an ambulance.

"You have to kill me," Alaric said, to both Mackenzie and Elena.

"What?"

"You have to kill me," he repeated.

Elena shook her head but then noticed the ring on his finger.

"Wait, wait, Matt, hang up. He's right. If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and be healed."

"But how do you know who did this is supernatural?" he asked.

"That's what he's saying, we don't, but… Mackenzie's a witch. I'm a doppelganger. If we kill him, he'll come back."

"Are you insane?!" Mackenzie shook her head.

"I'll do it," Elena said. "I'll do it."

She took a deep breath, and Mackenzie looked away as Elena stabbed her history professor to death.


	20. Peace and Forgiveness

Mackenzie didn't like hospitals. She didn't like what it reminded her off. She didn't like the feelings it brought up. Walking through the hallways with Elena and Matt made her feel sad, uncomfortable, powerless, disgusted, scared and even angry. Though, she was scared and angry even before she got there. Alaric's ring was supposed to bring him back to life and heal him but when he woke up on Elena's floor, lying in a pool of his own blood, he wasn't healed at all. They had to call an ambulance to get him to the hospital where he was going to spend the night in observation. She felt guilty for not wanting to stick around, but she really hated hospitals. Matt tried his best to distract her, but there was no way to shut out the smell and the noise. Besides, he wasn't feeling too confident himself. After all, Caroline's dad had been killed in this very hospital that morning and Mackenzie wondered if it was really a good idea to leave the history professor there alone.

"Any idea on who's behind all these attacks?" he asked as they were walking out the hospital, to Mackenzie's relief.

"No," Elena shrugged. "Sheriff Forbes said that there's no real suspects at all."

Now that Meredith Fell had been cleared, they were back to zero. Elena had doubts, at first, until she heard that the doctor had a strong alibi. But it wasn't entirely bad news. She was happy she had been wrong, and that Alaric's girlfriend was innocent.

"It's weird that he didn't see who attacked him. Caroline's father didn't see his killer either," Mackenzie said, "are we sure it's not a vampire? Maybe Klaus trying to mess with us?"

"I don't know," Elena shook her head, unconvinced by the elemental's theory. "Klaus got his family back last night, he has more important things to deal with then kill council members just to screw with us."

"Besides," Matt said, "would a vampire use stakes and knives to kill people?"

"I don't know," Mackenzie sighed. She was tired. They really couldn't catch a break.

The cold air of the late night hit them as they exited the building. Mackenzie shivered, though not because of the temperature. They were walking towards their car and she was reminded of the mess they'd have to clean once they were back at the house.

"How are you dealing with everything?" Elena asked her friends. "I mean… you keep getting dragged into all this."

"Honestly, I'm kind of lucky," Matt answered. "The only thing that I have to worry about for tomorrow is showing up for my shift at the Grill."

Mackenzie smiled without humor. He wasn't wrong. He _was_ kind of lucky. Unlike her. Though her luck had turned recently, since Elijah was back. Maybe she could get a job at the Grill, too. Maybe replace Jeremy. After all, it would do her good to have a normal thing in her life.

"Thank you, for everything today," the doppelganger said to the human as they reached his car. "Really."

"Get home safe," he merely said as he gave them a small smile, before getting into his car.

They waited for him to be gone before they silently walked towards Elena's car. She sighed, impatient to get home, as she reached for the car keys in her bag.

"I can't wait to be done with this day," she said as she put her seatbelt on.

"I know what you mean," Mackenzie nodded. She wondered if Elijah had gone by their house and what he would have thought of all the blood he'd have found there if he had. Her heart tightened in her chest as she worried she had missed him. She figured he wouldn't be too mad for being stood up once he heard about what happened.

Mackenzie closed her eyes and leaned back into her seat as Elena turned on the engine. She started backing up the car but immediately bumped into something.

"What?" Elena frowned, confused and worried. She didn't see anything when she looked into the rear-view mirror.

"Did you hit someone?" Mackenzie asked, sharing her friend's worry, as they both got out of the car. They made their way to the other side but found nothing there. "That's weird," she said, before she looked beneath the vehicle.

"Drive much?"

Mackenzie jumped, startled by the familiar voice.

"Rebekah," Elena breathed out, backing away but she didn't go far as the vampire seized the doppelganger by the throat and pushed her against the car.

"Surprised? You drove a dagger through my back, Elena. It hurt."

"Rebekah!" Mackenzie shouted as the vampire was about to dive her teeth in the doppelganger's neck.

But the blonde didn't have time to hurt the Gilbert girl as it was now her back that was pinned against the car, and Elijah's hand on her throat. Mackenzie always thought that seeing them reunited would be a beautiful moment, but she was starting to learn that beautiful moments were rare among the Original family.

"Leave," he ordered his sister before he let go of her.

Rebekah said nothing as she straightened up and took a step towards her brother, with her chin high and a defiant look on her face.

"Are you challenging me?" he asked with an amused smirk.

"You're pathetic," was her only response. "Both of you," she said as she looked at Elena. She then moved her eyes on Mackenzie who was behind the doppelganger. The elemental gave her a small smile she wanted friendly. She hoped she knew she had taken no part in Elena's betrayal. Rebekah disappeared before she had a chance to say anything to her.

"Well," Elijah smiled at Elena, "I believe we have a little catching up to do."

* * *

Mackenzie was in the back seat as Elena drove back to her house, Elijah sitting next to her. The elemental figured that if Rebekah was back, it meant Elijah's plans had been successful. Unfortunately, she came to learn that even if they had been successful, something had taken a surprising turn.

"Your mother?" Elena repeated, dumbfounded by what she had just heard. She had been told that whatever was in that coffin would be the answer to stopping Klaus for good, to killing him once and for all, but what Elijah was telling her was the complete opposite.

"Yes. It appears that even death cannot stop my mother."

"A trait that runs in your family, it seems," Mackenzie said with a yawn.

Elijah raised an eyebrow and turned to give her an amused smile. "Yes, indeed," he said softly, quietly, almost like a whisper, with his smooth voice that made Mackenzie shiver.

"And… she's not mad at Klaus for killing her?" Elena asked, trying to get the Original's attention back.

But Elijah was too focused on the elemental sitting behind them. He caught her eyes and she wasn't sure what he wanted but he wouldn't look away. She gave him a confused look which only made him smirk.

"Elijah?"

He sighed as he turned his attention back on the driver.

"No. She's forgiven him. She wants us to be a family again. So, we're staying here, in Mystic Falls."

"All of you?"

"Yes, all of us. But don't worry. My mother instructed my siblings not to harm anyone."

"Will Klaus listen?"

"Niklaus wants her forgiveness. He will do as she says."

Elena almost scoffed. She doubted Klaus would listen to his mother, and if he did, who would have thought that all they had to do to stop the original hybrid was to call his mother.

Klaus might be stopped for now, but Mackenzie wasn't reassured at all by the sudden come back of the original witch. After all, she was a powerful servant of nature who, according to Elijah, hated her kind.

"Our intention is to live here in peace, you have nothing to worry about."

"I believe you, Elijah," Elena said. Elijah was a man of his word. Even if he had betrayed them on the night of the sacrifice, she understood why. "I'm happy you got your family back."

Happy, she was. Both girls were. Though, maybe a little bit envious and a little angry, not at anyone in particular, that Elijah and his siblings would get their mother back, but not them. No. Elena's parents were still dead, Mackenzie's too. It wasn't fair, they thought. But they both knew all too well that life wasn't fair.

When Elena pulled over, she was relieved to be home and ready to go to bed. She got out of the car, thinking Elijah would then say goodbye and leave, but when she reached the other side, she saw he was leaning against the vehicle, waiting for Mackenzie to come out.

"There's a lot of blood in your house," he said as Mackenzie closed the car door. "But there's no one inside."

"Yeah, we know," Elena told him, "someone tried to kill Alaric."

"The same killer responsible for Ms. Forbes' father's death?"

"That's what we think," she nodded.

"Are you sure you want to stay here? The attacker could come back."

"I'm not leaving my house," Elena said, though she knew the question wasn't meant for her. "Besides, it's seen worse."

"It has?" Mackenzie asked, unaware she'd been living in a horror house.

Elena nodded. An awkward silence settled as she waited for Mackenzie to follow her.

"Could you give us a moment?" Elijah dismissed the doppelganger who looked at Mackenzie, silently asking her if it was okay for her to leave. She nodded. They waited until Elena was inside the house before speaking again. "Do you wish to stay here?"

She wasn't sure. She hadn't thought about the house being unsafe. But the victims of the mysterious killer had only been council members so far, and Alaric was one too, in some ways, so she would probably be safe.

"I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"My house has many guestrooms."

She breathed out a laugh. "You want me to live with you and your siblings, two of them I've never met, one of them has kidnapped me, twice, _and_ with your mother… who hates me?"

Elijah chuckled. "Fair point."

"Thank you, though," she said. _For worrying about me._

"Feel free to change your mind."

She doubted she would. In fact, she'd be happy if she never set foot in that house. His mother terrified her.

"What do you mean Niklaus kidnapped you _twice_?"

Mackenzie sighed. _Right_. He didn't know about Chicago.

"It's nothing. I was gone the next day."

"You escaped my brother?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Stefan was there, it's uh… it's a long story. It's not important."

"Did he harm you?"

"No," she quickly told him. "No, he… he just wanted to make sure I wouldn't help you."

"You went after Niklaus, to help _me_?" he asked, and she didn't know if he was angry or just surprised but he didn't look happy with her. After all, it was a very stupid thing to do.

"I didn't go alone," she mumbled, knowing it was a bad idea to mention Katherine. "Anyway, after that I came back here and… so did Klaus…"

"Mackenzie," he said, stepping forward, bringing a hand to her face and locking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You shouldn't put yourself in danger for me."

"Why not? Isn't that what friends do? They help each other."

"You could've died. You were lucky enough Niklaus let you go the first time. He could've killed you."

"Well… he didn't."

"Don't put yourself in danger for me," he repeated. She knew why. He'd feel guilty if she got hurt.

"Well, I didn't do it for you," she said. "I did it for me. Because I needed you. It was all very selfish," she joked. He cupped her cheek with his hand, she could see on his face he wasn't finding it funny. "I just," she sighed, all joking aside. "I didn't know what else to do," she told him, putting a hand over his. "You're all I have. I didn't want to lose you."

He gave her a sad smile. "You've made new friends."

"Are they really my friends? They don't even know who I really am. You… you do. You helped me. You were there for me. You answered my questions, you gave me a home, you dealt with my nightmares… You saved me."

He looked down, not really sure of what to say or what to think. He had enjoyed her company, her friendship. He liked her. He really did. But like his brother had said: "love is a weakness", and he was afraid he would get her killed, like everybody else he had ever cared about. But that was before. Before his mother had come back and made them a family again. Before he had his siblings back. Before he had a home.

He looked back up and smiled, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. She blushed as he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"It was no hardship," he said. "And it was an honor to help you."

* * *

Mackenzie didn't even bother to take a shower before letting herself fall on her bed after having helped Elena clean up the blood. She was exhausted, to say the least. When she woke up, it was already late in the morning, and Elena was already up, bringing Damon and Stefan up to speed. Mackenzie was starving, though the mere thought of going to the kitchen made her lose her appetite. She didn't think she'd ever eat there ever again since all she could see now was Alaric's blood all over the kitchen floor. She took a long and hot shower, thinking about wanting to do something normal. Like get a job. Yes. That was what she was going to be doing today.

She picked up a basic pair of jeans and a purple shirt she was pretty sure belonged to Elena, before she stepped out of her bedroom, almost bumping into her roommate.

"Hey," she laughed, "slow down. Are you going somewhere?"

"Sorry, I didn't hear you knock."

"I didn't, I was going to," she said, handing her an envelope with her name written on it. "This came in this morning. One for me and one for you."

"What is it?" she asked, opening it.

 _Please join_

 _the Mikaelson family_

 _this evening at 7 o'clock_

 _for dancing, cocktails and celebration._

It took Mackenzie a second to realize the Mikaelsons were the original family. There was something else written behind the invitation.

 _Mackenzie,_

 _It would be my pleasure to introduce you to my siblings,_

 _Please, do me the honor of accompanying me tonight,_

 _I am looking forward to it, I believe you owe me a dance._

 _Elijah_

 _PS: I hope you like the dress._

Mackenzie frowned. _The dress? What dress?_

"And this came with it," Elena said, picking a box from the floor. It was a beautiful beige with a bow on it. It was large but not too heavy.

Mackenzie's eyes grew big as she took it. Elena looked a little worried, though somewhat amused.

"Elijah?"

Mackenzie nodded.

"Can I see?"

She invited her in the room and laid the box on the bed before she opened it. She almost gasped when she saw it. He couldn't expect her to wear this. It was _way_ too nice.

"Wow," Elena said as she carefully took it out.

The dress was a golden ball gown. The corset was heart shaped, the details finely made, with what looked like diamonds precisely scattered here and there. The skirt was gigantic. It looked like it was made for a Disney princess.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"Uh-uh," Mackenzie nodded, speechless.

"I think he really likes you."

Mackenzie didn't know what to say to that, but she wouldn't have had the chance to say anything anyway because someone came knocking on the front door.

"I'll get it."

Mackenzie was left alone to stare at the dress she didn't even dare touch. She would look ridiculous in it, she thought. She ran a thumb over the embroidment. She wondered if those were real diamonds.

"Mackenzie!" Elena called from downstairs. There was panic in her voice, though she wasn't shouting for help.

She hurried down the stairs to find Rebekah standing by the door. She understood why Elena had sounded scared, she had just tried to kill her after all.

"Relax, I'm not here to kill anyone," the Original said.

"Then why are you here?"

The vampire shot a dark look at the doppelganger.

"I need Mackenzie to help me pick a dress for tonight."

Mackenzie knew it was a lie, or not entirely the truth. Rebekah had learned that Mackenzie was no good at these sorts of things when she helped her get ready for the homecoming dance.

"Are you coming?"

She couldn't really say no. Not that she was afraid of the vampire, but she couldn't imagine it going well. She gave a look to Elena who had come to the same conclusion. The only difference was Mackenzie kind of wanted to go. She was happy Rebekah was back and she wanted to apologize for not being able to help her when Elena had daggered her.

So, Mackenzie nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

* * *

Facing the big mansion, Mackenzie was starting to regret her choice. The last time she entered a house with witches inside, it hadn't gone so well. She swallowed before following Rebekah into the house. As soon as she stepped inside, she started to feel it all. The five original vampires and the original witch's magic. It was frighteningly powerful. She shivered. She hoped she wouldn't meet Esther any time soon.

Rebekah led her to what she thought was a living room. She wasn't sure because she had walked pass at least two of those already. But it was a big house after all. She then realized it was a dressing room. Elijah was there with whom she guessed were his brothers. They were trying different suits and Elijah was inspecting a pair of shoes. He seemed surprised to see her.

"Ah, Rebekah," one of the two vampires Mackenzie had never met said when he saw his sister approach. He was wearing a black tuxedo and admiring himself in a tall mirror. "Tell me how handsome I am."

Mackenzie raised her eyebrows. Remembering Elijah's stories, she knew exactly who that was.

"Oh, brother, you know I can't be compelled," she told him, making Finn and Elijah smile.

"No, but your friend can," he said, turning around and making his way towards Mackenzie.

She forced herself not to move, not to step back, and to keep her chin high. She didn't want to show her fear. She didn't want to be scared. They were Elijah's siblings, he loved them, he trusted them enough that he wanted her to meet them. She would be strong, like Katherine had taught her. _If you show them your fear, they win. Be brave enough that they like you, but not too much so they don't kill you._

He approached and looked her deep in the eyes before he said: "Tell me how handsome I am," he tried to compel her with a smirk on his face.

"You must be Kol," was all she said, making Elijah chuckle and Kol frown.

"You gave vervain to your friend?"

"She doesn't need vervain," she said. "She's a witch."

"A witch?" he repeated, like it made him like her instantly. "Well, at least you've heard of me," he winked, "I'm afraid I haven't heard of you."

"She's Mackenzie," Rebekah introduced her friend, "she's Elijah's girlfriend."

Kol and Finn turned towards their brother with a surprised look on their face and Elijah just rolled his eyes.

"I'm not… we're not," Mackenzie stammered, her face suddenly a very bright red. "We're friends."

"Whatever," the blonde said as she sat on the couch, in the middle of the room. "We have hundreds of dresses here," she pointed at the other end of the room where garment racks were waiting for them, each dress more beautiful than the other. "You can…"

But Rebekah didn't have time to finish as Klaus stepped inside the room, pushing the door so hard it bumped against the wall and made Mackenzie jump.

"You went after Elena?" he growled, making his way towards his sister, walking pass Mackenzie like she wasn't even there. "What is wrong with you?"

"Here we go," Rebekah smiled, like she'd been looking forward to this moment.

"Do you want another dagger in your heart?"

"Again with the dagger threats?" Kol said. "Don't you have any other tricks?"

"Oh, go back to staring at yourself!"

Mackenzie watched the exchange and was somehow not surprised at all by the tension in the room. No matter what their mother said, peace and forgiveness was a long way still. After all, she'd be angry too if Klaus had daggered her and kept her in a box for centuries."

A shiver ran down her spine and she instinctively straightened up as she felt a dark power approach.

Esther was here.

"Enough!" she stopped her sons. She came in from the other room, at the opposite of where Mackenzie stood. She moved her eyes over all of her children before they reached the elemental. She wasn't happy. She wasn't happy at all. But she didn't look surprised. She must have felt her arrive.

And there went Mackenzie's bravery. Kol she could deal with. Elijah and Rebekah were there to stop him if tried to do something stupid. But their mother, a witch, _the_ witch that had created vampires… She wanted to run and never come back.

"Children," Esther said. "Who is your friend?"

Elijah moved, vampire speed, to where Mackenzie was standing. He had his back turned on his mother and took Mackenzie's hand, making her look up at him. He nodded, silently telling her it was going to be alright. She didn't know if he had seen the fear on her face or if he could hear it in her heartbeat, but she was grateful he had come to her. He slowly turned towards his mother.

"This is Mackenzie, mother," he said. "She's a friend of mine."

"She's a witch," Kol said, like it would gain her any points. But Esther wouldn't be fooled. Mackenzie was no witch, and she knew it.

"A witch? Is that what she told you?" She didn't sound angry or mean or threatening. She sounded calm. Too calm.

"It's what I told her," Elijah replied.

Esther looked at her son in silence for a few seconds, then at Mackenzie. The elemental wouldn't look away from Elijah.

"Niklaus," she eventually said. "Come." And with that, she was gone.

"What was that about?" Klaus asked, not waiting for an answer before he followed his mother into the other room.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Rebekah repeated with a frown on her face.

Mackenzie looked up at Elijah who said nothing. She could see on his face that the decision to answer that question was hers and hers alone, and he would support her, no matter what she chose.

"I don't know," Mackenzie said with a trembling voice, then cleated her throat.

"Did you get the dress?" Elijah asked, hoping changing the subject would make her feel better.

She blushed as she remembered what Elena had said about it. "I did."

"Did you like it?"

"I did," she nodded. "Very much. Thank you," she gave him a small smile that he returned.

"Give me back my friend," Rebekah whined.

Elijah didn't let go of Mackenzie's hand right away, he didn't let go of her eyes. He wanted to make sure she was alright. He stroke her hand with his thumb before letting go of it. She smiled, then nodded, before he stepped away.

"I'm sorry, did you say you _weren't_ his girlfriend?" Kol joked, making Mackenzie look away.

"You already have a dress?" Rebekah asked, like it bothered her. "That's fine," she waved a hand, "that gives us more time to look for mine."

* * *

After getting Rebekah a dress, they had to get her a date. She already had someone in mind, but Matt was currently working at the Grill. Mackenzie had agreed to go with her, she had to go home anyway, to get ready for the ball, and the vampire had promised to drive her back.

They found Elena and Caroline sitting at a table inside the restaurant. Mackenzie asked Rebekah to walk pass them but of course, she didn't.

"Careful Caroline," she said as she stopped before them, interrupting their discussion. "It's all well and good till she stabs you in the back."

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, looking at Rebekah, then at Mackenzie, then back at the vampire. "I know your mom's rules. No murdering the locals."

"We didn't come here to kill anyone," Mackenzie said, confused as to why she'd think Rebekah would drag her here to murder people.

"Get over yourself, Elena. It's not all about you," she replied before she walked away to find Matt.

"What are you doing fraternizing with the enemy?" Caroline asked her with a reproval tone.

"She might be your enemy, but she isn't mine," Mackenzie said. "She's my friend, and she's done nothing to you."

"She helped her psycho brother turn Tyler into a hybrid!"

"And Elena stabbed her in the back, I guess you're even."

"Wait, what is she doing?" Elena interrupted them.

The girls looked up to where Rebekah and Matt were standing at the other end of the room and watch her give him an envelope.

"She's inviting him to the ball," Mackenzie shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Why is she inviting him?" Caroline asked, very unhappy with the idea.

"Maybe because last time they were supposed to go to a dance, she was… indisposed."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I thought we were over that."

"I don't think Rebekah's over that," Mackenzie said. "Don't worry. She's not gonna hurt him or anything."

"And you know that because…" Caroline questioned.

"Because her mother wouldn't like it _and_ I think she likes him."

The blonde shook her head then sighed as she leaned back into her seat. "Urgh. What time is this stupid dance?"

* * *

It was 6:30 and Mackenzie couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror, and not for the reason one would think. She loved the dress, she loved that Elijah had picked that dress, but what she didn't love was _her_ in the dress. Elena insisted that she looked beautiful and had even done her makeup. Golden eyeshadow, rose gold blush and a soft pink lipstick was covering her natural face. Mackenzie didn't like it. She liked to be discreet, to be invisible. This was the total opposite. This was too much.

"Elijah won't know what hit him," Elena said. "Now, let me talk to you about _protection_ ," she joked and Mackenzie's face turned red, even the makeup couldn't conceal it. She hit the doppelganger in the arm who left the room in laughter.

Elena wasn't supposed to go to the dance. Though, Mackenzie didn't know that. Damon and Stefan had instructed her to stay in her house, but of course she wasn't going to listen. The girls were supposed to drive to the dance together but that was before Elijah showed up at their front door.

"She's upstairs," Elena told him before she called for the elemental.

"You look lovely, Ms. Gilbert."

"Thank you," she gave him a small smile.

Mackenzie walked slowly, carefully, as to not trip and fall. "What is it?" she asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Elena stepped aside and gestured for Mackenzie to look at who was behind the door. Her heart jumped in her chest as she saw him. She didn't expect him to be there. She didn't feel ready for him to see her yet. She didn't even feel ready to leave the house like this. But Elijah's eyes told a different story. His brown eyes slowly made their way from her face to the bottom of the dress then back up to her beautiful face. He could see her blush and hear her heartbeat, he knew how he made her feel, but she didn't know how she made him feel.

He was wearing a black tuxedo, very classic, very Elijah-like. He smiled at her, realizing he had been staring in silence for too long.

"You look," he paused, looking for the right word, "striking, Mackenzie."

She didn't think it would be possible for her to blush even more, but she did. She remembered that night before they left for the 60's dance, how he told her she was bad at compliments, and had prepared for it. But everything she had planned on saying completely disappeared from her mind as he stood there, staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Th- thank you," she whispered. "I, um…" she cleared her throat. "I didn't know you were picking me up."

"Well, I wanted to do this right," he said. What he didn't say was that if she told him she didn't want to go once they got here, he'd take her to the Grill and buy her dinner. He knew she was afraid of his mother, and for good reasons, and it was his fault after all, he had told her many times that witches were her greatest enemies and her mother was the scariest witch they knew.

"I'll see you there," Elena said, kind of kicking her out.

Mackenzie took the hand Elijah was holding out to her and he helped her down the stairs. She felt very vulnerable in this dress, like she could step on the skirt and fall at any time.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear, "I'll catch you if you fall," he told her as if he had read her mind.

He opened the door for her, and she got in without giving him a look. She couldn't bear the look on his face anymore. She felt like her heart was about to explode.

They drove in silence for a couple of minutes, during which Mackenzie's heartbeat didn't slow down. He wondered if it was because she was embarrassed, or scared.

"My mother won't hurt you. She will follow her own rules."

"She hates me," Mackenzie whispered.

"No, she doesn't."

"You said she hated elementals."

"And as far as I know, she's never met one. She talks of peace and forgiveness. She might not like you, but she doesn't hate you. And you will be safe, I promise."

"I know I'll be safe," she sighed. He would be there after all. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her, she knew that much. But she couldn't help but fear the original witch. "Thank you for the dress," she changed the subject.

"You already thanked me."

"I know, I just… it's very beautiful."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Why did you choose this one?"

He gave her a quick look before focusing back on the road.

"I thought the color would suit you."

"Gold?"

"Yes. And the diamonds. It was a dress made for you. Rare, unbreakable… priceless."

She was thankful for the lack of light that hid her red cheeks. She tried not to stay speechless for too long.

"They… they're real diamonds?" she breathed out, now aware that she was wearing thousands of dollars' worth of rocks. The dress suddenly felt heavier. "Elijah… this is… too much."

"Mackenzie, I'm a thousand years old," he reminded her. "Nothing's too much for me. Would it make you feel better if I said I didn't pay for it?"

Mackenzie frowned, then thought about it. "I don't know… did you?"

He chuckled. "Of course I did."

Well, at least she wasn't wearing stolen jewelry.

* * *

When they pulled over in the driveway, only a few guests had arrived. Mackenzie was playing with a diamond on her skirt, wondering if it would ever fall off. She didn't know what she'd do if she started leaving a trail of diamonds behind her. Elijah noticed the diamond between her fingers and wondered if he should have chosen a simpler dress. He hesitated going forward with his plan.

"If you're bothered by the dress maybe I shouldn't give you this," he said, getting a box from the inside of his jacket.

Mackenzie looked at the small square box and her eyes grew big.

"Tell me that's not a diamond."

He laughed. "It's not a diamond."

"What is it?"

"Open it," he said, handing her the box.

She looked at him, suspicious, but then took it. Inside was a simple M pendant necklace, maybe made of gold.

"I love it," she said, and he smiled. "You didn't have to…"

"I know," he said. "But I wanted to thank you, and I wanted to apologize. I put you in danger. I involved you in my business and that made you a target, and I wasn't able to stop my brother from taking you. When he daggered me I was certain he'd kill you," he paused, Mackenzie didn't dare interrupt him. "But he didn't. And for a moment I thought of leaving town, of leaving you so you wouldn't be a target again. But then, you said you tried to help me, and Rebekah told me what you did for her the night Elena told her Niklaus was responsible for our mother's death, and I realized you couldn't stay away so why should I? You are a friend of my family, Mackenzie. Maybe the only person we can trust here. Our only ally. A true friend. So, I bought you that dress, because you deserve it. And I bought that necklace, because I wanted you to know how grateful I am to have you as a friend."

Mackenzie tried to swallow the lump in her throat and blink the tears away. "I'm grateful to have you as a friend too," she smiled.

"You showed me kindness at a time when my only goal was to destroy my brother. You became my friend when I was as alone as I was lonely. You said I saved you, but I want you to know that you saved me too. Because I stopped caring a long time ago, after my brother took everything from me, time and time again. And now that I have everything, I'm glad I have you to share it with. So when my mother asked me who I was planning on taking to the dance tonight, I knew exactly who I wanted to go with."

Mackenzie looked away as she nodded. "I missed you so much," she breathed out and he took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"Come on. I can't be late. My mother would kill me."

* * *

Damon and Stefan weren't happy about Elena being at the ball. But if they were really surprised, they didn't know Elena at all. Only Bonnie was missing from the party as it seemed that the entire town had been invited. Even Caroline, who hated the original family, had come. Rebekah seemed happy enough by Matt's side. Matt, on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable. Not because of Rebekah, but because this really wasn't his cup of tea. To Mackenzie's relief, Esther kept to herself and didn't even talk to her guests. She only showed up once, at the top of the stairs, when Elijah had invited the guests to dance:

"If everyone could gather, please," he had called from the stairs, his siblings standing behind him, a cup of champagne in their hands. "Welcome. Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz. So, if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

That was when Mackenzie knew she was in trouble. She went in the opposite direction, trying to hide in the crowd of guests. Unfortunately, she hadn't been fast enough.

"Are you running from me?" Elijah asked with a grin, as he appeared in front of her.

Her first instinct was to lie but then thought better of it. "Yes."

He laughed. "Please," he simply said, holding out his hand.

"No," she said, turning around, but he wasn't giving up. He took one big step and was in front of her again. She was too slow in her dress.

"Please," he repeated. "This dress was made for dancing."

She rolled her eyes. "I thought this dress was made for me."

He laughed again. "Please," he insisted, holding his hand out once again. "Would you do me the honor, Ms. Alemaund?"

She looked at his hand for a second, then back up at his face. He wouldn't give up. She took a step forward and pointed a finger at him. "You are not allowed to let me fall."

He smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

She could feel Elena, Caroline and both Salvatores' eyes on her as they joined the other guests in the ballroom. Who were they to judge? Especially Caroline. She was dancing with Klaus. But their attention made her feel more nervous. She was convinced she was about to embarrass herself.

"I don't know how to dance," she reminded her partner.

"That's alright. I'll lead," he whispered in her ear.

He took her left hand and put it on his right shoulder before he placed his right hand on her waist and took her right hand in his left hand. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand out of nervousness.

Her dress made it difficult for her to move but Elijah made it so easy for her to dance. She was so focused on her feet she didn't realize they had to change partners at some point. She ended up in Kol's arms who was more than happy to take over his big brother.

"Has my brother bored you to death yet?"

Mackenzie frowned. "Elijah is a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them."

He chuckled. "And how did you two meet?"

"It's a long story."

"That's alright. We have a minute."

Mackenzie hesitated. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Well that's the shortest long story I've ever heard."

"I wouldn't want to bore you."

He laughed. "What's with the attitude? You should be scared of me."

"Why?" she asked, trying not to let his threats get to her.

"Because I'm scary."

"You know your mother's rules. You can't hurt me. You can't hurt anyone."

"I know," he sighed. "But I'm still dangerous."

His cockiness was getting on her nerves more than it was scaring her. Besides, she figured he was just teasing her. So, she decided to tease him back, just like Katherine had taught her.

"You know what? Maybe I'm dangerous too," she said which made him raise an eyebrow, but he didn't have time to say anything back as they had to change partners again and she was back in Elijah's arms.

"So," he said. "You're dangerous?"

"Eavesdropping," she shook her head playfully, "rude."

"My apologies."

"You know, your siblings are exactly as you described them."

"You get used to them through the centuries," he said, and she laughed.

"When's the last time you and your siblings were together like this?"

"Over 900 years ago."

"That's a long time to be separated from your family."

"Indeed it is," he said quietly, pain and grief visible on his face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. I enjoy talking to you."

She smiled. "I missed this. You always answer my questions."

"I promised you I would, didn't I?"

"You did. I'm the one who didn't come through with my promise."

"Don't feel bad about it. It was unfair of me to ask that of you."

She remembered what her mother had told her, that she was capable of killing Klaus, and wondered if Elijah knew it. If he did, she was certain he wouldn't ask it of her again, nor would he tell anyone as the information would get Klaus to kill her on the spot.

When the waltz was over, Elijah excused himself, leaving Mackenzie alone in the pool of guests. She walked around until she found Rebekah and Kol standing near the stairs, plotting something.

"Where's Elijah?" the blonde asked.

"He abandoned me," she joked as she stopped next to her friend. "Where's Matt?"

"Flirting with his ex," she sighed, which made Kol smile mockingly.

"You've changed, Bekah. Settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."

Mackenzie shivered suddenly, which made him chuckle.

"No offense, love."

"What?" she frowned. "No, it wasn't you."

"Are you cold?" Rebekah asked, but wasn't really interested.

"No… Someone's doing magic."

"Must be mother," the blonde said.

"Why would she be doing magic now?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, not really interested by that either. "She's a witch, it's what witches do. You should know."

"Unless you're not really a witch, like our mother suggested," Kol said with an evil grin.

Mackenzie looked at him but said nothing. "I'm gonna find Elijah."

"You do that, 'Ms. Alemaund'," he said, imitating his brother's voice, freezing Mackenzie to the spot.

"What?" Rebekah breathed out. "You're an Alemaund?" Mackenzie looked around, hoping to see Elijah nearby. No luck. "You're an elemental!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Kol laughed. "Easy, love. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us," he winked. She looked up at Rebekah who looked angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd like to stay alive."

Rebekah scoffed. "Well, that would explain why mother doesn't like you."

"Witches have tried to kill me before," she said, shivering at the memory of that day she tried to get into that horror house, "you can't tell anyone," she begged them.

"Who are we gonna tell?" Kol asked. "We don't know anyone here."

"Don't worry," Rebekah said. "I don't let my friends die, especially not in the hands of witches."

Mackenzie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She trusted Rebekah enough, it was Kol she was worried about.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked, appearing behind her.

"Smart telling everyone your elemental girlfriend is a witch," Kol smirked. "Changing her last name would be smarter, though."

Elijah frowned. "And it would be smart to keep that information to yourself," he coldly told his brother who laughed.

"Relax, brother. I won't kill your girlfriend. I'm not Niklaus. It's him you should worry about."

"So what are you? A mermaid? Don't tell me you're a phoenix, please," Rebekah asked.

A phoenix. An elemental of fire. Mackenzie could guess why she didn't like them.

"I'm… complicated."

"So you're more than one," Kol guessed.

"I'm complicated," she repeated, taking Elijah's hand, silently begging him to drag her away from his siblings. He happily obliged.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"My mother has requested an audience with Ms. Gilbert. I wanted to make sure her intentions were as pure as she claims them to be."

"Elena's or your mother's?"

"Both, I suppose. My mother's ability to forgive my brother has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask."

"Well…" Mackenzie hated to be the bearer of bad news but, "she's doing magic."

"Yes, a privacy spell," he nodded. "I can't hear anything that's being said in the room."

"What did Elena say?"

"She agreed to tell me what my mother said to her."

"Elijah," Mackenzie hesitated, but she knew Elena would stop at nothing to kill Klaus, and she had already stabbed Rebekah in the back, she was certain she wouldn't hesitate to do the same to him, "Elena can't be trusted."

"I'm afraid you're right."

"Do you think…" she paused, "do you think Kol can be trusted?"

"Kol is reckless. He doesn't take anything seriously. But he'd hate to turn into Niklaus. He'll keep you safe. For me."

She could only hope he was right.

Half an hour later, they found Elena in the middle of the hall, amongst the other guests. Mackenzie followed Elijah to her, hoping the doppelganger wouldn't do something she'd end up regretting.

"So how was my mother?"

"Intense," she said, looking down at Mackenzie then back up at him.

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?" he asked, taking two glasses of champagne from the waiter, and giving one to Mackenzie, then one to Elena, before he took one for himself.

Elena didn't reply right away. She was looking at someone at the top of the stairs, and when Mackenzie followed her gaze, she saw Esther was smiling at the doppelganger.

"Elena," Elijah tried to get her attention back, "should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

Mackenzie slid her hand around Elijah's upper arm, moving close to him, making Elena look at her for a moment, then back at Elijah.

"She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."

"So, it's true then? She's forgiven Klaus?"

"It's true," Elena smiled. Mackenzie was unable to tell if her smile was sincere, which meant it probably wasn't.

"Evening, ladies and gentlemen," Esther spoke to the room from where she stood atop the stairs. "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers."

Mackenzie raised her glass with the others but did not drink from it as she didn't like champagne.

Elena walked away quickly after the toast.

"She lied," Mackenzie said. She had no proof, except for the look on the doppelganger's face. She looked just like she had when she had stabbed Rebekah in the back.

"I know," Elijah nodded, before he finished his glass.

Mackenzie didn't know if she was more disappointed than she was angry, but she was certainly both. If Esther was the key to killing Klaus, Elena wouldn't miss the opportunity. But what angered her the most was that she looked them both in the eyes and lied. That was when Mackenzie knew that Elena was no friend of hers.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Right now," he said, taking her glass from her and placing both his and hers on the empty plate of the waiter closest to them, "I'm taking you dancing."

She complained as he took her hands and led her back to the ballroom where soft music was still playing, and some couples were still dancing.

"Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?"

"Yes, multiple times." And it always made her blush.

She knew, however, that he was trying to change the subject and distract himself. She couldn't imagine how he must be feeling. His mother had come back from the dead with a promise of peace and forgiveness and it turned out to be a lie. And if his mother could kill Klaus, then she could kill him too. She moved closer to him as the thought clang to her mind. She had just gotten him back. She couldn't lose him again. She wouldn't let it happen this time, no matter what she'd have to do.

"I'll help," she said after a moment of silence. "I won't stand by and watch them try and destroy your family. It's my turn to help you."

He stopped moving, and looked down at her, letting go of her hand, but not of her waist. Mackenzie was getting nervous as he looked at her in silence with an unreadable face.

"Thank you," was all he said before he took her chin between his fingers and leaned forward.

He didn't know if it was the dress, or the way his siblings kept calling her his girlfriend, but he had wanted to kiss her ever since she had talked back to Kol earlier that night. _I'm dangerous too,_ she had said. He didn't know where that sudden confidence was coming from, and sure he missed the shy girl he had met seven months ago, but he was relieved to know that she could fend for herself. She was an ultimate, after all. And deep down, she would always be that shy girl, but stronger.

Her eyes grew big as his lips got dangerously close from hers. She could feel her heart beat hard in her chest and she knew he could hear it too. She closed her eyes, ready to experience her first kiss, ready to show him how much she cared about him, but before she could do any of that, he backed away.

"Something's wrong," he said, looking out the window behind him.

"Wh- what?" she stuttered, confused by what had just happened, or what could have just happened.

He said nothing as he walked away, and she followed him to the front door, where his siblings and Stefan Salvatore were already gathered. Elena joined them quickly, taking in the scene. Kol, lying dead on the ground, at Damon's feet.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan breathed out, as surprised as everybody else.

"Maybe a little," he mumbled. "Far be it from me to cause a problem," he then told Elena who sighed like she knew exactly what had gotten into him. Mackenzie guessed she was probably responsible for putting him in a (literal) murderous mood, like she often did.

After Damon walked away, Mackenzie was ready to help Kol the way she had helped Elijah once, but Elijah stopped her, taking her hand, tilting his head towards Klaus, silently telling her not to show him what she could do.

Elijah helped Finn brought Kol back inside the house discreetly before he offered to drive Mackenzie home.

"What do you think got into Damon?" she asked once they were in the car.

"Probably nothing. I'm willing to bet it was all my brother's fault."

"Well I don't know about that. Damon seemed pretty upset."

"I'm sure Ms. Gilbert can tell you why."

She scoffed. "I can't trust Elena anymore. I was so mad when she daggered Rebekah, and now this? Lying to our faces?" she shook her head. "I don't know what to do."

"Ms. Gilbert is looking out for herself. And that's what we're going to do too."

"I meant it when I said I'd help."

"I know. And we're probably going to need it. My mother is a witch, your powers will be effective against her."

"I've been practicing but I don't stand a chance against your mother."

"It won't come to that," he said but she knew he only hoped that it wouldn't.

Elena wasn't home when Mackenzie arrived at the house. She was both relieved and nervous to be alone with him.

"Thank you for bringing me back," she said as they reached the door.

"My pleasure."

"You have a beautiful home, by the way."

He gave her a small smile. "I'm afraid it's not quite a home."

Right. His mother was plotting against them. He didn't really have a home, did he? But then again, neither did she.

"Well, it's a beautiful house, no matter who lives in it."

"You'll have to tell Klaus. He's the one who built it."

Mackenzie cleared her throat, she didn't seem to know what to say. She could only think about his breath on her face when he was about to kiss her, before Damon ruined it all.

"Goodnight, then," she said, unlocking the front door.

He smiled, but she didn't see it. "Goodnight, Mackenzie."

She quickly entered the house and closed the door behind her. She leaned her back against it, sighing as her head hit the cold wood, kicking herself mentally for being so stupid. What a stupid idiot she was, she told herself. And she kept telling herself that for an hour as she took off her dress and removed her makeup.

 _I should've said something._

 _I should've done something._

 _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Idiot. Stupid._

She let herself fall on her bed with a sigh.

 _Stupid._

She heard the front door open and decided to go and greet Elena but as she opened her bedroom door, she heard she wasn't alone.

"So, uh…" Stefan said. "Esther wants to kill her whole family."

Mackenzie's heart jumped inside her chest.

"How's that for Mother of the Year?" he scoffed.

"Yeah. And I got to look Elijah right in the eye and lie to him about it."

Now, Mackenzie's heart tightened. Her blood started to boil.

"Well, good. Can't say I'll be sorry to see any of them go."

"I just signed their death sentences, Stefan…"

"No, you signed Klaus' death sentence, Elena. Everyone else is just collateral damage."

 _Collateral damage._ The words echoed in her head. _Collateral damage._

"It's not that simple."

"The family's brought you nothing but darkness, Elena. It is that simple."

 _Collateral damage. Death sentence. I got to look Elijah in the eye and lie to him._

 _It is that simple._

Mackenzie's rage was unusual. It wasn't blinding like it usually was. On the contrary, it was eye opening. She remembered something Elijah had once told her: _kill or be killed_ , and, suddenly, nothing had never been truer. He was right. She'd have to kill again, she _would_ kill again, because she wasn't going to let Elijah die. To let any of them die.

Maybe Stefan was right, Klaus deserved it, maybe the entire original family deserved to die, but they weren't any better. Maybe they deserved to die too. But whose choice was it? Who could decide who lived and who died? Mackenzie realized that no one had the right to make those decisions. She had relied on the notions of good and evil for too long, of right and wrong, but now she knew the world didn't play by those rules. Stefan and Elena didn't play by those rules. It had never been a fair fight and it would never be one. Everybody just looked out for themselves. There were always two sides, maybe none of them were right, maybe none of them were wrong.

But Mackenzie knew which side she was on.

And she realized Stefan was right about one thing. It was that simple.


	21. Burned Creature

Mackenzie had been sitting against the grey cold wall of the storage room for hours. She had been there all night, ever since Stefan had left the house and Elena had gone to bed. She first wanted to warn Elijah but thought better of it when she remembered Esther would be there. She had to wait until morning, or it would raise suspicions. So, instead, she went to the storage room where she had left her car and her mother's chest before leaving Mystic Falls with Katherine six months ago. She was going through grimoires and old journals, trying to find something, anything that could help her and Elijah stop Esther. She was reading about phoenixes when sunlight appeared from beneath the door.

She wondered if Elena would notice she was gone. She had packed up her things and left nothing behind. She hadn't thought twice about it. She was done. Elena was a lying hypocrite and she couldn't bear living in her house, under the same roof as her. She'd have succumbed to the fire and burn it all down.

The fire inside of her hadn't disappeared or calmed down. On the contrary, it seemed Mackenzie had tamed it. It was animating her, motivating her. She knew what she wanted to do and she would stop at nothing to do it. She had just gotten Elijah back and she wasn't going to lose him again. She was one of the most powerful creatures on this planet and it was time she started acting like it.

She didn't even bother to call before showing up at the house. Her bags and her mother's chest in the trunk of her car. She was relieved to sense that Esther was away. From what she could tell, only three Originals were inside, and she hoped Elijah was one of them.

She hesitated, unsure on how to proceed. How would she even tell any of them that their mother were plotting to kill them all?

She knocked once, then twice and was surprised to receive no answer. It's not like they couldn't hear her, they were vampires after all, they could hear anything. Deciding that a door wouldn't stop her, she entered uninvited and started to look for Elijah in the labyrinth that was the house.

She jumped, startled, as he appeared out of nowhere right in front of her. They were in a hallway, Mackenzie wasn't sure exactly where. This house was enormous.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a worried look on his face.

"We need to talk," she told him, the look on her face and her tone making it clear it was extremely important.

"What is it?"

She hesitated. "Maybe you should sit…" she said, bringing a hand to his arm but he quickly took it in his and stepped forward.

"What is it?"

She sighed, then looked around. "Where is your mother?"

"I don't know. Mackenzie, tell me."

"It's…" she paused. He already knew something was up. He knew Elena had lied last night so what she was about to tell him wouldn't be a complete surprise, but still… It wouldn't be pleasant to hear. "I overheard Elena and Stefan last night. She said your mother… she said she wanted to kill you all, she said… she said she signed your death sentences."

The look on his face confirmed the information didn't surprise him, but it still hurt deeply. Of course it did.

"What else?"

"Nothing else. It's all they said, I don't know any more than that."

"I think Finn is working with her," he admitted, he probably had started investigating on his own. "He hates what we are, he always has."

"Elijah, I'm so sorry."

"There's no time for that," he blinked the tears away, but not fast enough that Mackenzie didn't see it, "I think now would be the right time to ask Ms. Gilbert exactly what she knows. Do you wish to stay behind?" he asked, knowing this was about to get ugly.

"No," she said immediately, she didn't need to think about it. She had readied herself for this. "I said I'd help you, and I will. Tell me what I have to do."

* * *

Convincing Elena to come with them had been easy. Mackenzie tried her best to stay calm and appear friendly as the doppelganger smiled at Elijah like she hadn't signed his death sentence just the night before. She hadn't even noticed that Mackenzie had moved out. Maybe it was for the best as that would make her ask questions, but she couldn't help but think that Elena didn't really care.

Elijah drove them to the woods, explaining he was taking them to a place where he used to go when he was human.

"I forgot how much I missed this land," he told them as he got out of the car.

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago," Elena replied.

"You know your school was built over an Indian village? Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that there was a field where wild horses used to graze," he said as he led them further inside the woods. He stopped in front of a series of large rocks and smiled as he approached them.

"Do you know this place too?"

"I do. Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance."

Elena looked down, tucked her hair behind her ear and started to shift from one foot to the other. Mackenzie could see she was becoming uncomfortable. It all probably pricked her conscience.

"Elijah, I should probably go…"

"I admire you, Elena. You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet when I asked you about your meeting with my mother… you lied to my face."

Elena opened her mouth but no sound came out of it. Mackenzie wondered what lies she was going to say to get out of this one.

"It's not true. I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start…"

"Collateral damage," Mackenzie cut her off, and the doppelganger gave her a distressed look, which didn't faze her. "I think that's what you called him. Klaus will die and Elijah is just… collateral damage, is what you said." Elena's scared eyes moved from Elijah to Mackenzie, understanding that she was in trouble and that she had no friends around to help her. "Tell the truth, for once."

"I never wanted this to happen," she breathed out with an apologetic look on her face.

"What, Elena?" Elijah said firmly as he stepped towards her.

Her eyes found Mackenzie once again but understood from the look on her face that she wouldn't help her. The elemental was burning with calm rage, the fire like warms running up and down her veins.

"We were told that whatever was gonna be in that coffin was gonna kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother, we didn't know what to think."

"I am tired of listening to your excuses, Elena," Mackenzie said. She hadn't listened to them after she had stabbed Rebekah, she wasn't going to listen to them now. "Tell us what we want to know."

Elena swallowed. "When she asked to see me… I… I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus, but it's not just Klaus she wants to kill."

"We know that," Mackenzie interrupted her.

"I'm so sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help."

Mackenzie scoffed. She remembered the plan and what Elijah had told her about the ground, that it would be easily dissolved into nothing. She fisted a hand, her powers gathering inside her fist, before she let go. The ground before them crumbled before it disappeared, falling into the caves below. Elena gasped as she took a few steps back, then looked up at Mackenzie with wild eyes.

"Be careful what you wish for."

* * *

Stepping inside the Salvatores' house with the intention of threatening them both didn't scare Mackenzie one bit. Of course, Elijah's presence was reassuring, but she could defend herself now. She wasn't the same person she had been seven months ago, when Damon had trapped her against the wall of his dining room, and she had been unable to defend herself. Now, he would be the one at her mercy, if it came to it.

Damon was there, but he hadn't heard them come in. He was on the phone with whom Mackenzie guessed was Alaric from the sound of it. Elijah sat on the armchair near the fireplace, waiting for the eldest Salvatore to notice their presence. Mackenzie stared at the fire behind him. It burned there like it burned inside of her. It was controlled now, but what would happen if control was lost? If it started to spread?

"What are you doing here?"

She turned when she heard Damon growl from behind her. She slowly took a step towards where Elijah was sitting, resting her arm against the top of the chair.

"It appears we have a problem," Elijah replied with a calm voice. "Where is your brother?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe we should wait for him, then. After all, I'm sure he'd want to know what has to be done for Elena to survive this day."

Damon opened his mouth then closed it. He frowned as he looked up at Mackenzie.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

She tilted her head. Wasn't it obvious? "I'm helping my friends survive this day."

The vampire grimaced. He was about to say something back when the front door opened, and Stefan appeared behind him. "I can't find Elena," he said before he saw the Original and the elemental in his living room.

"They have Elena," his brother informed him.

"Actually, she's with Rebekah," Elijah corrected. "As you can imagine, my sister is just dying to tear her throat out," he said with an amused tone. Mackenzie didn't find it amusing, she was too angry for that. But when Stefan looked up at her, she raised an eyebrow, making it clear what side she was on. And it wasn't Elena's. "So, if you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help me stop my mother."

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand-year-old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty," Damon said.

"Yes, unfortunately, even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Stefan asked.

"The witches that released my mother," Elijah said. "She's drawing her power from their bloodline. That line needs to be broken."

"Broken?" Stefan frowned. "You want us to kill them?"

"No," Mackenzie said. "A dead witch is still a witch." She knew that all too well, after all, dead witches had tried to kill her not so long ago.

"For the line to be broken, we need one of them to stop being a witch," Elijah explained. "You know, I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you."

"Wait," Stefan said. "Who are the witches?"

"My mother is drawing power from the Bennett line."

"You want us to turn Bonnie into a vampire?" Stefan asked, giving Mackenzie a baffled look.

"I don't care who you turn," she replied, finding herself unable to sympathize with a witch, even with Bonnie, especially if she was helping Esther kill Elijah.

"What's wrong with you? Bonnie is your friend!"

"She would be if she weren't trying to kill my other friends," she snarled.

"In any case," Elijah said as he stood up, "you have until six minutes after 9."

"Oh, how super-specific of you," Damon frowned.

"By 9:07 the moon will be full and my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So we all have our timeline. I suggest you get started."

Mackenzie followed Elijah out of the house in silence. What she hadn't told them is that if they failed to stop Ester, she'd kill them all herself.

* * *

It was getting late and Stefan and Damon still hadn't found Bonnie and her mother. Mackenzie had tried a few times to do a locator spell, but it seemed that Esther had managed to find a way to keep herself hidden. As the hour grew late, the fire inside of her grew stronger. Her anger towards them all wasn't going away and she doubted she'd ever forgive them, even if Elijah survived.

The Original could see something was wrong with Mackenzie. She was quiet and cold. He knew she worried about him. And even though he had agreed for her to come and help, he couldn't help but worry about her. He had dragged her into a world where she had to do terrible things for him and for herself. Kidnapping Elena and threatening her life was possibly the worst thing she had ever been a part of, and it was all his fault.

How selfish he was.

He knew his brothers were at the Grill and he parked his car near the restaurant in silence. They hadn't said a word since they had left the Salvatores.

"I'm sorry about all of this," he said after they exited the car.

Mackenzie looked up at him and frowned. "People are trying to kill you," she said. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I'm sorry I dragged you into it."

She didn't reply. She stopped, took his hand on hers before looking up at him. "I'm not. I'm happy to help. I don't want to lose you again."

He gave her a small smile. He brought a hand to her face, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"You're too good for me."

She chuckled as she looked down, trying to hide her reddening cheeks. But he slid a finger under her chin and made her look up at him. She forced herself to fight her shyness and look him in the eyes.

"I believe we were interrupted last night."

She swallowed. "Yes, we were," she whispered.

Like he had the previous night, he leaned forward, his nose brushing against hers, his breath caressing her face, his lips so close to hers.

But like the previous night, he stopped.

She looked up as she heard him gasp in pain and saw his skin turning grey, as if he had just been daggered.

"Elijah!"

He collapsed to the ground and took her down with him. Mackenzie started to panic, wondering if they were too late, if Esther had started the ritual early, before the full moon had reach its highest point. She took his face in her shaking hands, trying to bring him back like she had that one time after Alaric had stabbed him in the back. But as she sent her magic his way, it faced a wall, as if the door was closed and no magic could bring him back.

"No," she cried, "no, please, no."

She felt like her heart had stopped with his. Tears fell down her cheeks as she feared the reason why her magic wouldn't help was because he was _dead._ Not daggered dead, but dead dead, with no coming back. She couldn't bear to look at him, at his desiccated body, his closed eyes, his immobile chest. She felt like she had failed him again. She had been right there, but she couldn't do anything. She couldn't stop it.

She cried and begged for what seemed like an eternity. But after a couple of minutes, the door opened suddenly, and her magic reached the original vampire. She gasped as she felt their magic blend, becoming one. And when his heart started beating again, so did hers.

He gasped his way back to life, pain leaving his body as colors returned to it. He barely got the time to sit up that Mackenzie's arms were around his neck. He was panting and still confused but hugged her back as he heard her cry.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. You… you were dead," she said, letting go of him, before she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"I feel like I was just daggered," he told her as he got up.

"You're linked to your siblings, maybe one of them was."

"The Salvatores are trying to find a loophole, no doubt."

"It has to be Kol, nobody knows where Rebekah is."

"Come on."

They hurried to the Grill where they found Klaus fighting Damon and Stefan in the dark alley behind the restaurant. Kol was still unconscious on the ground. Elijah and Mackenzie arrived just in time to stop Klaus from killing Damon.

"Leave him," Elijah told him from the top of the stairs. Klaus slowly turned around, obviously extremely unhappy. "We still need him, Niklaus."

"What did mother do?" he asked, having heard from Damon that he was working with Esther. "What did she do, Elijah?" he asked again as he received no answer.

"You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now," Elijah said as he walked down the stairs.

Damon looked up at the town's clock which indicated 8:30. "You told me we had until after 9!"

"I'm sure Rebekah would be more than happy to start her work early."

"Mackenzie," Stefan said as he stood up. "Don't do this."

She frowned, wondering why he was asking her for anything. She tilted her head, contemplating her options. Seeing Elijah die again had made her fire burn hotter, stronger. She wasn't thinking clearly, she wasn't herself, but she was too furious to even notice. They had daggered Kol, they had hurt Elijah and Rebekah, they were trying to buy themselves enough time for Esther to kill her children. They weren't listening. They weren't helping. So she thought if Damon wouldn't do it for Elena, maybe he'll do it for his brother.

As soon as Stefan was back up on his feet, he fell back to his knees, screaming in pain.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, panicked and confused.

She looked down at him from atop the stairs where she was still standing. "Motivating you," she shrugged. "Answer the question."

She ignored Klaus' impressed look on his face, the smile and the nod of approval he sent her way. She didn't see Elijah's concerned frown.

"They're at the witches' house," Damon growled.

Stefan stopped screaming.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Klaus said.

"Go, end the Bennett line," Elijah told the two brothers. "We will stop our mother."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other before they disappeared. Mackenzie walked down the stairs, crouched near Kol and placed her hand on his chest.

"What is she doing?" Klaus asked.

"Just watch, brother."

Kol gasped his way back to life, like his brother had done a few minutes ago. He was as confused as Elijah had been.

"How did you do that?" Klaus asked but Mackenzie only shrugged.

She was getting used to the fire in her veins, the burning that had been driving her all day and that was only getting worse. She didn't realize how much it was changing her. But Elijah saw it, even though he didn't understand it.

"Go back to the house," Elijah told her.

"What?"

"It's too dangerous for you to come with us. The Salvatores will stop the Bennett line and my mother will be stopped," he explained as he approached her. He took her concerned face in his hands. "We will be fine. I don't want you to see this."

"But…"

"Go," he cut her off. "Now."

He handed his car keys to her. She looked at them for a moment before she took them with a sigh.

"Be careful."

"We will be," he nodded.

He kissed her forehead before he disappeared with his brothers.

* * *

Kol never came back. An hour after Mackenzie had arrived at the Mikaelson house, Klaus and Elijah had returned unharmed but without their little brother. The hybrid didn't even acknowledge the elemental's presence as he walked pass her in the hall where she had been waiting. Elijah was standing in the doorway, waiting for her to follow him outside. There was pain, grief and shame on his face.

"What happened?" she asked once they stood in the driveway.

"Abby Bennett is no longer a witch. My mother and Finn fled. So did Kol."

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned by the cold tone of his voice. She stepped towards him, but he stepped away. Whatever her mother had said, it had hurt him deeply.

"Today, I did things I abhor to protect my family. I threatened an innocent girl and had someone turn into a vampire to save us."

"Elena's far from innocent."

"No, she's not. She was looking out for herself, because we do deserve to die, Mackenzie!" he said with a loud voice that made her jump. "For everything that we did to her. And everything that we did to you."

Mackenzie shook her head, confused. "What, you… you haven't done anything…"

"I put you in danger the second I asked you for your help. Then and now. And I've seen you change. Today… I didn't recognize you. When you hurt Stefan I…"

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She wasn't proud of that, but she didn't regret it either. He had it coming. He had daggered Kol. He had planned their deaths. He was the enemy.

"This is not who you are, Mackenzie. This is who I made you. You should not have to put yourself at risk for me of for my family and you should not have to threaten or hurt anyone for us," he paused. She couldn't stop the tears in her eyes or the pain inside her chest. "I don't want you to become like us. Because my mother is right. We're monsters. And you… you're better than that. You are good and gentle and compassionate. And I can't be responsible for taking that away from you."

"Elijah, I…"

"My mother made us vampires. But she didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves. You're better off without us, Mackenzie. You're better off without me," he said, taking her face in his hands and wiping the tears away from her face.

"Elijah," she cried, as she understood what he was saying. "I don't have anyone else."

He gave her a sad smile before he kissed her forehead. "You will be fine," he whispered. "Goodbye, Mackenzie."

She didn't get the time to say anything, to stop him, because he was already gone. She gasped like she had just received a blow to the chest. She tried to wipe the tears away from her cheeks before she realized they weren't tears. It was raining.

She didn't know how long she stood there, alone, in the cold rain, crying all the tears in her body. She didn't know if she should blame Elena, or herself, or Esther. She didn't know if she should blame anyone. It wasn't fair, she thought. He hadn't changed her, not in the way he thought. He hadn't done this to her. She was who is she was, and she had no regret. And she would have told him that if he had given her the chance.

"I told you she could make it rain," an unfamiliar male voice said from somewhere Mackenzie couldn't identify.

She jumped, startled. She looked around but couldn't see anyone, though now that she focused, she could tell there was a witch close and someone else, something else she didn't recognize.

"Of course she can make it rain," a female voice replied. "She controls water."

They both had odd accents Mackenzie couldn't place. The man sounded British or Australian maybe. The woman had what Mackenzie could only guess was a French accent. Hearing them talk, knowing one of them was a witch, she started to worry. Were they witches coming to kill her? How did they know she could control water? And how did they know she was making it rain? She didn't even know that herself.

"Where are you?"

She heard the man laugh. It wasn't a scary laugh or a threatening laugh. It was almost a childish-like. He appeared suddenly, a few feet before Mackenzie, who jumped again, startled by the sudden apparition.

He was a tall, handsome man with a big bright smile on his face. He was wearing odd clothes that looked like they were from the 19th century. A brown suit and a beige shirt. He couldn't have been older than thirty. The woman appeared next to him, seemingly coming out of nowhere. She probably was one of the most beautiful women Mackenzie had ever seen. She was in her late twenties maybe early thirties. Her clothes were as strange as her companion's. It was a long bordeaux dress, with a corset. She was wearing a necklace of pearls with the letter B hanging from it. They looked like they belonged to another century.

"You know," the woman said. "If Aella knew you were crying after an Original, she'd roll over in her grave."

Mackenzie frowned at the mention of her mother. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled. "Sorry, sorry," he quickly said. "How rude of us. Of course you don't remember, you were just a baby when we last saw you."

Her eyes grew big as she realized who they were, as she recognized them from her mother's stories. "Oh my God," she breathed out. "You're…"

"Alexander Davidson," he said with a low and elegant bow. "At your service."

"I'm Heidi Beauregard," the witch introduced herself, not bothering with a courtesy, which Mackenzie wouldn't complain about. "We've been watching you, Mackenzie."

"What?"

"When the spell we cast on you was broken, we felt it immediately," Alexander explained. "We thought you were dead."

"A simple locator spell led us here. To our surprise, you were living with Elijah Mikaelson."

Alexander laughed again. They were the exact opposite of each other. Heidi kept her face strict and serious while he couldn't stop smiling and joking.

"We didn't dare intervene," he said.

"We were curious to know if you could fend for yourself."

"When you ended up in the big bad wolf's claws, we thought we'd come to the rescue."

"But then you ended up leaving town with Katerina Petrova, of all people," Heidi said, like she disapproved.

"But at least she helped you practice your magic."

"But you are still grossly untrained."

"So we thought, now that you're alone, maybe you could use some company."

"And some lessons. Especially now that you're letting your fire consume you."

Mackenzie stared in silence. The cold rain made her shiver. She didn't know if she was happy to see them. Of course, she was happy to meet them, and her mother had said they were friends and allies, they were her godparents after all. But meeting them in person was something Mackenzie hadn't expected. Something she wasn't ready for. Especially not now and not there. She didn't know what to think about them spying on her, though she supposed it was reassuring, in a way. At least, they cared about her. They had kept their promises to her mother. And they were still keeping it, nineteen years later.

"So?" Heidi asked, sounding impatient. "Are you coming?"

"We're a lot of fun, I promise," Alexander winked as he held out a hand to her.

Maybe it was crazy to even consider it. But as she looked at his hand, she remembered everything her mother had told her about him, about them. About what they did for her, for them both, even before she was born.

And Heidi was right. She was untrained. She had all this power and no idea how to use it.

And she was alone. Again. She didn't like being alone.

She looked up at her, then at him, before she took his hand.


	22. Bittersweet Creature

Heidi and Alexander were as inseparable as they were different. They loved each other, it was clear, even if Heidi never smiled and he never stopped laughing. Mackenzie watched them live together, like they were two pieces of the same puzzle, so different and yet, they made sense, they completed each other. They needed one another. Alexander always managed to make her smile at least once a day. It was almost his life's mission. She needed him to relax and he needed her to keep his feet on the ground.

Living with them was entertaining and never boring. Heidi was determined to teach Mackenzie everything she should know if she were to live in this world alone. Alexander helped her train physically. It always ended with blood and bruises, but he always healed her at the end of the day. She learnt more in two weeks than she had in the past six months. She had grown stronger and more confident.

They had asked her several times if she wanted to go to the Forest, but she always declined. They had left Mystic Falls, but the town was still a two-hour drive away. She refused to walk away even though she never answered any calls from her former friends. Not Elena's, not Bonnie's and not Rebekah's. She didn't want to talk to them. She was still angry at the doppelganger and the witch and she figured she always will be. Heidi had told her that the fire inside her would make her spiteful and revenge hungry. She had been right about that. Even though Mackenzie wasn't actively trying to kill them, she didn't feel anything but anger towards them. They weren't her friends. They had never been her friends.

Not answering Rebekah's calls was more difficult, especially since the blonde had no idea where Mackenzie was. But the elemental didn't want to talk to the Original. She didn't want to talk to any Original but one. The one who never called. She had had two weeks to think about it, about what he said, and though she understood why he did it, she wished she had had the chance to give him a piece of her mind. She wasn't a fragile doll that needed to be kept in a box. If she wanted to use her powers to protect the people that she loved, she would, and she wouldn't apologize for it. She wished he knew he hadn't changed her for the worst. She wished she could tell him he had changed her for the better.

And she wished he could see her right now. She was standing in the backyard of the house they had been living in for the past two weeks. Alexander had compelled the owner to let them in. The old man didn't live there anymore, he lived across the street with his daughter who took care of him. Alexander, Heidi and Mackenzie had the house to themselves. It was a big yellow house, newly built, enclosed within four brick walls painted in the same color as the house. Nobody could see what was happening inside. And that was for the better. Because they would have seen a nineteen-year-old girl on fire, standing in the rain, with a dark cloud above her head which flashed with lightening, surrounded by a circle of strong wind with snowflakes twirling inside. It was a sight to behold. Heidi made her do that at least once a day because it made the elemental use every element at one. The trick was staying on fire while the rain poured down on her, keeping the snowflakes alive near the heat and controlling the lightning so that it would stay within the cloud. Not burning her clothes was also a difficult exercise that she had mastered in two days.

Alexander laughed as he applauded. He was standing near Heidi, on the wet brick terrace. Mackenzie let go of her magic, making all of it disappear in less than a minute. She was panting, exhausted by the amount of power she had just used. Heidi said nothing but Mackenzie had learnt to recognize the pride on her face.

"This shouldn't be difficult," the witch said coldly as she noticed Mackenzie pant. "We will do this until it takes you no effort," she told her before she stepped back inside the house.

Alexander chuckled. "You did great."

She smiled back at him before taking a deep breath. She felt as exhausted as she looked.

"By the way," he said, "your phone keeps ringing."

Mackenzie caught the smartphone he had just thrown at her. She wondered who could be calling her again. Elena and Rebekah had stopped calling about a week ago. Her heart tightened when she saw his name on the screen.

"Are you gonna pick it up?" he asked.

She didn't know. Why was _he_ calling? She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him. She was still angry at him for leaving her the way he did.

Seeing as she gave him no answer, Alexander took it upon himself to answer for her. He took the phone from her hands, so fast she didn't see him coming.

"Mackenzie's phone!" he answered.

"Alex!" she breathed out. "Give it back!"

"Oh, so you want to talk to him now?"

She tried taking her phone back, but he was taller and faster than her. The only way she could get it back was if she used her magic. She used wind to make it slip off his hand, but he caught it before it could even reach the ground.

"Nice try, angel," he winked at her with a smirk. "Hang on a moment, will you?" he told Elijah over the phone.

"Give it back!"

She used wind to make him fall this time and he laughed as his back hit the ground.

"Ouch!"

She bent over to take the phone, but in less than a second she was the one lying on her back, in the wet grass, with Alexander on top of her.

"You have to be smarter than that, angel."

She growled, using wind again to remove him from her. He landed on his feet and before he could move again, roots rapidly came out of the ground and whirled around his ankles, his legs, his entire body.

"Oh, crap," he said before he fell forward.

Mackenzie let a laugh escape her as she stood up. "Was that smart enough for you?" she said as she reached for her phone.

"You're a fast learner," he grunted as he tried to free himself from the roots.

Mackenzie ignored him and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Mackenzie, are you okay? What happened?" Elijah asked with worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she breathed out, trying to catch her breath. "What do you want?" she said, a little bit more coldly than she intended.

"I…" he paused, then cleared his throat. "Nobody's heard from you in two weeks."

"Yeah? Wasn't that the point? You never wanted to see me again."

Elijah didn't reply. Mackenzie started to regret her words. She sounded bitter and childish.

"I'm in Mystic Falls and I… Elena asked if you were with me. Rebekah said you left when I did."

"Yeah, so? What are you doing back in Mystic Falls anyway?"

She heard him sigh. "Bonnie Bennett managed to trap Niklaus with a spell. I'm here to retrieve my brother."

Mackenzie wasn't surprised that Elena and Bonnie hadn't given up on getting rid of Klaus.

"And what? You need a witch to free him from the spell?"

"No, I…" he paused again. She knew her harsh words were getting to him. Good. "I gave my word to Elena I wouldn't set him free for a few centuries."

She scoffed. Of course, he did.

"So what do you want?"

"I called because nobody could tell me where you were. I was worried."

"You wanna know what I think? I think you worry too much, Elijah."

"Harsh," Alexander said from where he laid on the muddy ground, still prisoner of the roots. Mackenzie shot him a dark look.

"Where are you?" he asked, ignoring Alexander's laughter in the background.

"What? You care now?"

"I never said I didn't care."

"No, you just decided what was best for me without even asking _me_ what I wanted!"

"I was trying to protect you."

"Maybe I don't need protection, Elijah. Maybe all I needed was you!"

He didn't reply. The silence was unbearable. Even Alex had stopped laughing. She was kicking herself mentally. What had gotten into her? She hadn't realized what she was saying until it was too late. She felt tears form in her eyes.

"Where are you?" he asked again.

"In a small town… two hours away," she said with a small lump in her throat.

"Rebekah's on her way to a storage room to get Niklaus. Will you meet her there?"

"Why?"

"Because she could use your help. Alaric will be coming after her and… she could use some help."

"Alaric?" Mackenzie frowned. What did Alaric have to do with any of it?

"My mother returned and turned the professor into a vampire before she died. She made a weapon that can kill my siblings and me. His life is linked to Elena's. We will be leaving the country as soon as we get Niklaus back."

The air disappeared from her lungs. He was leaving her again and he hadn't even come back.

"I was thinking Germany," he said which brought the air back to her chest. "I heard there was a Forest there where we would be safe."

She chuckled, letting a tear fall down her cheek.

"And you don't mind me facing Alaric?"

"Like you said. You don't need protection." Besides, Alaric wasn't going after her. He was going after _them_. "What should I tell Rebekah?"

Mackenzie looked around. Alexander was still on the ground, waiting for her to answer, even though he already knew what she was going to say. Heidi was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell her I'm on my way."

* * *

When she got to the storage room, night had already come. Damon and Rebekah were already there. So was Alaric. She looked at Alexander and Heidi who were dropping her off before heading to Mystic Falls where they had planned to meet later that night.

"Do you want us to come with you?" he asked from the driver's seat.

"I'll be fine," she shook her head. After all, the past two weeks had made her ready for this type of situation. "I'll see you later."

"Be careful," Heidi said as the elemental closed her car door.

They drove away before she entered the maze that was the storage room. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she heard both Rebekah and Damon shout. She was in front of Damon's black SUV and hurried around it to find Alaric leaning over Klaus' desiccated body with a stake in his hand. Mackenzie didn't get the time to appreciate the irony of Klaus lying dead in a coffin as Alaric was more than ready to kill him.

"No!" Rebekah cried from where she sat on the ground.

Mackenzie waved her hand. She used wind to send the stake away from Alaric's hands and witchcraft to break his neck. It was the first time she was trying it and Heidi would have been proud of the results. Alaric collapsed to the ground.

"Mackenzie," the blonde breathed out.

"Looks like I arrived just in time."

"Let's go before he wakes up," Damon told them, not bothering to ask what she was doing there. She guessed he wouldn't complain about it.

He closed the coffin and Rebekah helped him get it in the trunk. Damon took the stake before he took the wheel and he drove away faster than he could run.

"Nice to see you're still alive," Rebekah told Mackenzie coldly.

"Sorry… I was busy."

"Busy at the witch academy? When did you start kicking ass?" Damon asked.

"I'm motivated."

"Well, thank you for saving my brother. You did arrive just in time."

"You're welcome."

Mackenzie was sitting in the back seats, looking at the back, making sure Alaric wasn't following them.

"How long 'til we get there?" Rebekah asked Damon.

"Too long. He'll wake up before we even get close."

"That's fine," Mackenzie said, more for herself than for them. "I'll deal with him."

"Where did you get all this confidence from?" the vampire asked but she ignored him.

Half an hour passed without an incident. But the knot in her stomach didn't go away. She knew Alaric was coming and when he did, she'd have to find another way to stop him. They couldn't kill him with his own weapon because he was linked to Elena, and if he died, so did she.

"Do you see anything?" Rebekah asked after an hour, finding it weird that Alaric hadn't reached them yet.

"No," Mackenzie replied, she didn't see him, nor did she feel him.

"Let's keep our eyes open," Damon said. "He'll get to us at some point."

"Wait," Mackenzie breathed out. "He's here."

"How do you know? I don't see him!" Rebekah said.

"I just kn-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Damon stepped on the brakes. Mackenzie put her hands on the seats before her, trying not to fall over. The glass of the rear windshield shattered, making her scream. She saw Alaric trying to get inside the car.

"Drive!" she shouted at Damon as she pushed the vampire hunter away with a strong wind.

Damon obliged.

"We can't go back to Mystic Falls, Elijah is there, he'll kill all of us!"

"No, he won't," Mackenzie snarled as she made sure Alaric wouldn't be able to follow them. She used nature to create obstacles in the road. She tried to have roots trap him, but he was too fast, he was getting very close. "What the hell happened to him?! I thought you two were friends!"

"His ring made him go nuts!" Damon replied. "He's not my friend anymore!"

Mackenzie breathed out of relief as a root finally caught Alaric. The closer he got and the easier it was for her to use her magic on him. He was stuck on the road, the roots whirling around him, almost breaking his bones. If Alexander couldn't get out of that, he wouldn't either.

"How did you do that?" the vampire asked as he looked in the rear-view mirror.

"Magic," she told him as she leaned back against her seat, trying to catch her breath.

But her reprieve was short as Alaric was now right in front of their car. Damon tried to stop, but he was too late and he hit the hunter. They all shouted at the impact. Mackenzie was stunned and didn't realize right away that Alaric had broken the window on Damon's side.

"Where's the stake?" he growled

Mackenzie shook her head, trying to recollect herself. How the hell did he free himself? She saw the stake between the two seats in front of her and took it. She tried to burn it, but fire didn't work on it, it was spelled. She knew what she needed to do, but it would take time.

"Buy me some time, Rebekah," she whispered to the blonde.

The Original didn't ask questions and just nodded. Damon and Alaric were fighting outside but the hunter was trying to get inside to get to his weapon. Mackenzie started to focus. If she took the magic away from the stake, then it would be destroyable. She felt her magic blend with the stake's, but unlike what she did to bring back Kol and Elijah, this time, she had to take the magic, not give it away. She felt it filling her veins, mixing with her own magic. Esther's witchcraft was becoming hers. It was powerful and hot. It felt so good to feel the spell crumble away. Heidi would have been proud.

"Mackenzie!"

The elemental heard Rebekah before she saw it. Alaric tore the car door apart and grabbed her. He threw her at the side of the road. She screamed before her back met a tree, the impact taking her breath away. She didn't even get the time to open her eyes as Alaric was already there, taking the stake from her hands. She wasn't done with it, she couldn't destroy it.

"What are you?" he growled.

She didn't reply. Instead, she brought him to his knees. She used water to fill his lungs and she watched him as he choked at her feet.

"You're not a witch, are you?" Damon said, out of breath, as he approached.

Mackenzie looked up at him but didn't reply. Pain was traveling across her back.

"What are we going to do?" Rebekah asked. "We can't have him follow us to Mystic Falls."

Mackenzie took the stake from the ground, resuming her work. "He can't kill you if he doesn't have a weapon."

"Well, good luck destroying it," the eldest Salvatore said, knowing there was no way to get rid of it.

Mackenzie smiled as she felt the last drop of magic leave the stake. It rolled out of her hand, burning with hot flames. Only ashes reached the ground.

"No problem," she shrugged at the two vampires who were looking at her with opened mouths and wild eyes.

"If my brother doesn't marry you," the blonde said. "He's a fucking idiot."

Mackenzie chuckled before she rolled her eyes. She looked down, however, when she felt herself blush. "Yeah, you might want to tell him that…"

"What?" Damon scoffed. "Trouble in paradise?"

"My brother's an idiot and he knows it because I already said so when he told me what he said to you two weeks ago."

"What are you doing?" Damon shouted suddenly, startling them. "Stop it!"

"What?" Mackenzie asked, worried by his tone. "I'm not doing anything!"

"You're killing him!"

"No, I'm not! I'm not doing anything!" she repeated.

"No, no, no, no!"

The vampire kneeled near the former history professor who was collapsing to the ground, though not because of Mackenzie. His body was turning grey. He was dying.

"Oh my God!" she breathed out as she understood what it meant. "Elena's dead."

"Ric!"

Rebekah gestured for Mackenzie to follow her, leaving Damon alone for his friend's final moment. The blonde leaned against the car as Mackenzie couldn't stop looking at her former professor's dead body. Tears formed in her eyes and she let them fall on her cheeks. He was a good man, and he didn't deserve to die like this.

"What do you think happened?" she asked with a lump in her throat.

"I don't have to think," the blonde said.

Mackenzie frowned as she looked up at her friend. The Original gave her her phone. The screen showed her messages with Kol. The last thing he sent her was this: _"I'm not running anymore."_

"I couldn't have stopped him even I wanted to."

"I know," Mackenzie said in a whisper as another tear made its way to her face.

Against the original family, they never stood a chance.

* * *

Damon left without saying a word, leaving his friend's body on the side of the road.

"Running to Elena," Rebekah had said, "even dead."

Mackenzie wanted to take Alaric's body with them, but Rebekah insisted that Damon would come back for him and that they didn't have time to drop him off anywhere anyway as Stefan and Damon would probably come after Kol for killing Elena, with or without a weapon. She gave the history professor a last look before Rebekah drove away.

"Elijah's not going to be happy with your brother."

"I doubt Kol stuck around long enough for Elijah to scold him."

"You know it's going to sound horrible but… I'm glad you don't have to run."

"Personally, I don't care if it sounds horrible. I'm glad Elena's dead and the fact that I don't have to run is just a bonus."

Mackenzie stared at the vampire in silence for a moment. She wasn't surprised by her lack of emotions and decency. After all, Elena had tried to kill her and her siblings several times. Plus, she was a thousand-year-old vampire who killed people every time she was hungry. No, she wasn't surprised, because that was who Rebekah was. Who her friend was. And even though Mackenzie had been mad at Elena, she wasn't happy about her death. Someone's death was nothing to be happy about. Never. Elena had family and friends. And a life. She was a high school student. She had a future. But not anymore. Because of Kol. Because of Klaus. Because of the Mikaelsons. And maybe Elijah was right, maybe she should stay away from them. But, for some reason, she didn't want to.

She brought a hand to her neck, to Elijah's necklace. She had just realized that the 'M' wasn't for Mackenzie. _"You are a friend of my family, Mackenzie. Maybe the only person we can trust here. Our only ally. A true friend._

No. The 'M' wasn't for Mackenzie.

She smiled.

"We're here," Rebekah finally said after an hour.

Mackenzie sighed. It was too dark outside to see anything. The vampire had stopped the car near the forest at the entrance of Mystic Falls. She got out of the car, wondering if Heidi and Alexander were around. But as she tried to see if she could sense them, all she found was two original vampires. She walked around the car to where Rebekah was standing near the trunk.

"Elena's dead?" Elijah repeated his sister's words.

"We don't have to run, 'lijah. It's over."

The eldest Mikaelson looked up at the elemental as she appeared from behind the black SUV. She had her hands in her jeans' pockets. She was happy to see him, but she felt nervous. Nervous because of what he said when they last saw each other. Nervous because of what she said when they last spoke.

"'lijah," she chuckled uncomfortably as she took a step forward.

He didn't look unhappy to see her, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. His eyes travelled on her body, looking for injuries, no doubt. They then laid on his sister who took the hint and walked away.

"I'd ask you if you're okay but I'm afraid you'd say I worry too much."

Mackenzie winced at his words, then rolled her eyes.

"You wanna go there?" she asked. "Okay. How about we talk about you leaving me behind without even giving me a chance to response?" After everything she had gone through to get him back, he had been the one to leave her. That had hurt more than she could have ever imagined.

"What would you have said? I can't give you a good life…"

"I told you!" she cut him off. "I don't need anything…" she paused. She couldn't find the courage to say it again. She looked down, trying to blink the tears away. "I'm old enough to make my own choices," she continued as she looked back up at him. "I'm strong enough to decide who I want to be with. That night you said what I did to Stefan was unlike me, but it's not! I'm an ultimate, there's a fire in me that gives me anger issues," she admitted, "and it makes me spiteful and mean. But that's who I am. You didn't do that to me. And I would've told you that if you hadn't left so fast! Yeah, I can also be calm and compassionate like you said but so can you! We're not just one thing, Elijah. And you know what, maybe you think that what you did that day to save your family makes you a bad person, but I disagree! You did what you had to do to make sure they were okay. Your family is what you should value most, and I should know because I have none. I have no one but you. You and Rebekah. And I won't just stand there and stay behind while people are trying to kill you! And the fact that you won't either is why…" she paused again, then cleared her throat. "You're strong, and you're brave and you'd do anything to save your family and that's why you're a good person, Elijah. You're not a monster. We're not just one thing. We're capable of a lot of things but at the end of the day, if we have people that we love, if we have people we'd do anything to protect… we can't be that bad."

Elijah didn't reply. Maybe he was looking for what to say, but Mackenzie didn't give him the time to answer. She stepped forward and took his hand, making him look at her.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Elijah. I meant what I said. You saved me. And maybe, now that I can control my powers, now that I've changed, you don't like who I've become, and…"

She stopped and gasped as he seized her by the arms and pushed her against the car. Her back met the vehicle and she looked up at him with wild eyes, confused, unable to tell what he was thinking.

"Stop," he said so low she almost didn't hear him. "Stop," he repeated a little louder. There were tears in his eyes, pain on his face. She didn't' understand what was going on in his head. "Your blood can't be on my hands," he told her with an unsteady voice.

She didn't know what to say. She knew it was the reason why he had left. She knew he would feel guilty if something bad ever happened to her. That was just how good a person he was.

"It can't be," she whispered. "I'm stronger than you now."

He gave her surprised look before he chuckled.

"I am, actually, I can kill you, and I know you know that," she continued. "So, if anything, if something bad happened to you, then it would be my fault, because, well, I'm the only one who can really hurt you…" she joked.

He shook his head. She could see he was trying not to laugh. She gave him a smile that he returned.

"You worry too much, 'lijah," she told him again.

"Maybe you're right," he nodded as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I left."

"I'm sorry I was mean to you…"

He laughed. "I deserved it."

"Promise me you'll never leave me again."

He smiled. He took her face in his hands and trapped her brown eyes in his. "I promise."

She felt a surge of courage go through her, and before it had the chance to disappear, she tiptoed, slid her hands up his chest to the back of his neck, and kissed him. He responded immediately, kissing her back, his hands falling on her waist. She wasn't sure what to do, she had never kissed a man before. But Elijah knew that. He was gentle, he was slow, he didn't ask too much of her. He released her from the embrace but kept her close to him. There was no space between them. It was just them, standing there, as one.

"I'll never leave you again," he said, and she smiled.

He was about to kiss her again when he heard two people approach. He turned around, keeping Mackenzie behind him. Rebekah was by his side in an instant.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Alexander laughed. "We're friends."

"Um," Mackenzie cleared her throat as she stepped out from behind the original vampire. "This is, uh… my godparents," she explained. "Alexander and Heidi."

"Nice to meet you," Alexander grinned at both of them. Heidi said nothing.

"These are the people you were with for the past two weeks?" Elijah asked and she nodded.

"We have plane tickets for Germany, and we're going to be late if we don't leave now," Alexander told them.

"I thought you said you had a private plane?"

"We do," Alex nodded.

"It's rude to make people wait," Heidi finally spoke up.

"They uh… they've agreed to take us to the Forest… if you still want to go," she informed Elijah.

He gave a look to his sister, who shrugged, then looked back at the elemental. "I'll follow you anywhere."

"Then we have to leave, now," the witch said. "Margo will be waiting for us."

Elijah raised his eyebrows. He knew of a Margo. He wondered if it was the same person he had read about, the Queen of the Forest. He silently questioned Mackenzie, who nodded, giving him his answer.

"I think there's a lot of things you haven't told me."

She chuckled. "You have no idea."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Next chapter will be posted on November 4!**


	23. The Holy Forest- Part 1: Margo of Aragon

**I'm sorry this is super short but this is the best I could do! I really wanted to post something today so here it is, I hope you'll like it!**

 **Also, Margo is obviously extremely "inspired" by the character of Margo from the TV show The Magicians (don't spoil I'm like a season late!)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The sky had turned grey in the late morning and cold air had arrived with the heavy clouds.

Margo was looking out the window and stared at the gardens that seemed to never end. Her eyes were on the green maze and she knew, though she couldn't see it, that they were still wet from the rain of the day before. Walking in that maze would ruin her shoes and the bottom of her dress for sure. The mud and the cold made it more trouble than it was worth.

"Cancel my walk with Sir Fay," she ordered, to no one in particular, knowing one of the five pages who were around would do as they were told.

She heard someone run out of the room before silence invaded her chambers. She was still looking out the window, staring at nothing in particular, lost in her thoughts. Fay would get over it, she thought, they had been through that maze more times than she had celebrated her birthday, which said a lot. Besides, he probably wasn't too upset about it. He too had to get ready for this afternoon.

The city was on high alert. An ultimate _and_ an original vampire were being invited inside the Forest. Such event hadn't happened in centuries. If she had been anyone else, Margo wouldn't even have considered it. But Mackenzie was an Alemaund. Mackenzie was a Fay. Mackenzie was Aella's daughter and Heidi's goddaughter. Mackenzie was welcomed here as Margo had promised her mother. And since Mackenzie was now infatuated with Elijah Mikaelson, he was welcomed as well. She probably would have said no if it had been the other one, the hybrid, Niklaus. But Elijah was said to be trustworthy and an honorable man. And the Holy Forest welcomed honorable creatures. After all, it was the most honorable place on earth.

Paradise, had it been called once, more than once in fact. Maybe it was the closest city to it. Immortality, wealth, happiness, anything anyone could want for. A paradise to everyone. Everyone but humans, of course.

They despised humans here. Even hated them. Of course, they would. Those older than five centuries had been chased away from their village, their country, by humans, because they were different. All hunted by humans, elementals hunted by all. Here was a safe place. Ill intentions weren't welcomed here. Danger wasn't welcomed here. And the people running this place were powerful enough to make sure of its safety.

Margo was less than honorable when she found the Holy Forest. She had come from a dishonorable place, born a dishonorable way. Her mother, a witch as well, had high ambitions, for herself and for her children, though children she only had the one, the one and only Margo of Aragon. Her greatest success. Seducing the King of Spain, Alfonso V of Aragon, had been easy enough with magic though even magic couldn't have him make Margo legitimate. But her mother's plans never met success as Margo's bastard status was a target on her back and the allegations against her mother weren't helping either. To be a bastard is one thing, to be a witch is another, and to be both… well, nobody could be allowed to be so powerful. So, she fled. She ran away. Away from her terrible mother, away from her terrible reputation. She left Spain alone and took all her magic, power and knowledge with her. It led her to Germany, not the smartest choice at a time when burning witches was everyone's favorite hobby. It led her to another life, another world. A brand-new world where she met brand new creatures such as mermaids and fairies, all of them fleeing a dangerous country because of who they were as well.

Margo was born of a king, so she became a queen. They didn't want to give her the crown, she didn't want it anyway. She wanted something better, and she found it. She made it. Over 500 years ago, when the Forest was nothing but a lost village in the middle of Germany. She protected it with magic, and she welcomed everyone, everyone that was like her. Fleeing, hiding, looking for safety, looking for peace. Those kings wouldn't give that to them, so she did. She was better than all of them, for in over 500 years, the only deaths the Holy Forest had seen were from natural causes.

Margo shivered as the room became colder. If any of her page boys had seen it, they'd have hurried towards the fireplace and made sure it wouldn't happen again, but she didn't give them the chance to make a move as she raised her arm towards the dying fire and the flames grew bigger in a silent roar. The heat slowly filled the room as an old memory resurfaced. Back when Aella was still pregnant. The last time she saw Pandora and Ambrosia. She remembered them standing in front of a fireplace, plotting something, talking with the Oracle, though she couldn't hear what they were saying, they seemed to agree with each other as they all nodded. When the two sisters approached, they told the queen something she had not forgotten. Something she had no repeated. For if anyone knew, the entire vampire species would come after her, and considering her almost brother in law was the crazy psychotic hybrid Niklaus, now was not the time to reveal this secret.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Part 2 (and maybe, probably, hopefully part 3) will be posted next Wednesday!**

 **Also for those of you who read my The Valuable Sun series, I made a mistake, there will not be a chapter next Monday but the Monday after that, on the 18th!**

 **Have a great week!**


	24. The Holy Forest-Part 2: Heidi Beauregard

The weather inside the Forest was identical to the one of the open world. As cold and as humid, as grey and as depressing.

Heidi was sitting on the passenger seat of Alex' black Mercedes, her partner at her side, his hands on the wheel, an original vampire behind him and an ultimate behind her. The witch's eyes fell on the mirror outside her window and she caught a glimpse of her goddaughter. The elemental was half asleep, her head resting on the vampire's shoulder. The silence and the steady road had allowed her to fall asleep as her unexpected fear of flying had kept her wide awake on the plane. No one would dare wake her now.

As they drove past the black iron gates, the red brick wall appeared in the mirror and Heidi knew she was home. The city had an old aura, she recognized it easily. She watched the old houses and the old buildings as Alex drove past them slowly. The street was narrow and there was just enough space for the car to drive through it.

Elijah watched the houses too, with a sad nostalgia, thinking back to the time of black houses and buildings made of wood, back when he was still by Niklaus' side. He recognized the different architecture styles, the oldest one from five centuries ago. The city was a mixed of old and new, but even the old didn't seem affected by time. The wood and the bricks seemed new, as if it had just been built. The vampire caught a glimpse of what was inside the businesses: a coffee shop, a restaurant, a library… What he saw inside surprised him. It wasn't what one would expect when they saw the buildings from outside. It wasn't any different from any coffee shops in cities like Berlin, Paris or even New-York. It was the same with the people walking the streets. Dressed in different fashions, like Heidi and Alexander, some obviously had preferred to keep the clothes from their century, but their corsets didn't stop the women to use smartphones, nor did their top hats stop the men from doing the same. It was a sight to behold, and Elijah knew he still had a lot to discover.

Heidi knew the Forest perfectly well. She knew every secret it held, every person it hosted, everything and anything, just like Margo did, just like Alex would if he paid attention to this sort of things. She knew that Margo would make them wait before she received the four of them in the throne room. She knew she would judge their clothes, the way they stood on their feet, their every word. She knew the questions she was going to ask. And Heidi was arrogant enough to think she already knew the answers.

She had spent the last four hundred years there, with Margo. The last two with Alexander. She had made herself one of the most powerful witches on Earth. Not more powerful than Margo, certainly not stronger than Pandora or Ambrosia, though she doubted anyone was more powerful than the two sisters. They were older than the Mikaelsons. Probably the eldest people alive. Former slaves in Athens, back when democracy was the norm but slavery, ironically, was too, they had been rescued by witches and had been empowered by their rage and their want for revenge. But now, over two thousand years later, maybe they were tired of people, maybe they were simply tired of life, as they always retreated in a secret place, disappeared for years, even centuries, only to be summoned by people they trusted, people powerful enough to summon them, when they had no other solution to their problems. Heidi was one of those people. As was Margo.

Heidi had gotten strong the same way. Empowered by rage and the want for revenge, after her village burnt her mother alive for being a witch. Marguerite, her mother, accused of using witchcraft to seduce Jean, the lawyer's son, Heidi's father, didn't even get any chance to defend herself as the villagers got the rope and the pitchforks and the torches and through her in the pyre, way too happy to kill a witch, to kill the woman that had been a sister to them, a midwife to their wives, a doctor to their children. So Heidi did the same thing to them. She burnt them all alive as well, one night, exactly a month after her mother's death. She burnt their houses while they were sleeping, burnt her "friends", their parents and their children. The lawyer's son and his entire family. Every single one of them. Even the church and the school and the house where they kept the sick and injured. She ignited the flames with a smile and witnessed them die with a laugh.

She didn't flee France like Margo fled Spain. She left it behind, left everything behind, knowing if she crossed the path of other superstitious little bastards she would do the same thing to them. She got to Germany, found the Forest, found Margo, and she had stayed there, where no one would even think about burning a witch, where she wouldn't cross the path of superstitious little bastards.

Two centuries in the Forest, a life of her own, settled comfortably in the castle, with more power than she needed, she met Alexander, who too had left everything behind and found the Forest. He was a little bastard but at least he wasn't superstitious. And he made her smile. And he made her laugh. And she was in love with him, so in love in fact that after only a year later, she asked herself how, how did she ever live without him?

The car stopped in front of the castle, two guards posted on each side of the huge opened front door, a page ready to open the car doors and another ready to take their luggage from the trunk. The page bowed to her as she exited the vehicle and he was almost hit by Mackenzie's door as she opened it. Elijah was by her side in a flash, helping her out of the car. She looked awful, obviously exhausted, and maybe a little hungry. If not starving.

"Lady Beauregard," the page greeted. "Welcome back. Her Majesty will see you in an hour."

Heidi didn't bother with a reply and it's Alexander who thanked the servant and dismissed him. She looked up to the sky, her eyes slowly travelling on the castle's façade. The white stones looked like marble and she knew it would be cold inside. She shivered already at the thought of entering her home. She followed Alexander inside, walked between two columns with Mackenzie and Elijah by her side before stepping in the hall.

Nothing had changed. The carpet was still red, covering the white marble floor that they had renovated a century earlier. The guards were still wearing the same uniform, posted at the same place, holding the same weapons. The servants walked around silently, stopped to bow to them before resuming their task.

"I'm going to change," she informed them, without looking at any of her travelling companions before walking away.

Mackenzie and Elijah watched her leave, and their attention was called away from the witch's back as their heard Alexander chuckle.

"I think she hates this place, but she'll never admit it. Probably because she doesn't know it."

"Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," he nodded. "She's impatient, she hasn't talked to Margo in months."

"Are they close?" Elijah asked.

"They're best friends."

"You are nobility here?"

"If you can call us that," he shrugged. "Sure, I guess. So are you, by the way," he winked at Mackenzie.

The elemental, who just wanted to find a bed and slid under the covers, didn't realize he was being serious and chuckled at his joke.

"Don't laugh, Lady Alemaund," he mocked. "You might just be the most powerful creature here."

"Don't remind me," she sighed, which made Elijah smile.

"I don't think anyone is going to let you forget it."

"Sir Davidson," a page interrupted them. "The rooms are ready. A package is waiting for Lady Alemaund in her chambers."

"Is it as we asked?"

"Yes, sir, they are in neighboring rooms. In the main wing."

"Then I'll show them myself, thank you."

The page bowed again before walking away without saying another word.

"We were afraid they'd send you off to the guest wing," the heretic told the original vampire, "we made sure you weren't too far away from each other."

"I appreciate that," Elijah nodded.

"We just got here. Who sent me a package?"

Alexander chuckled. "The queen, silly. It's probably a dress, or a crown… or both," he grinned mischievously.

"I… Am I… expected to wear a crown?" she stuttered.

"I'm kidding," he laughed. "A crown is given in a coronation. You haven't had one of those… yet."

"Stop it!" she told him as she slapped his arm, making him step back with a laugh.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Let's go then. We can't be late."

"What should we expect from…" Elijah paused, looking for the right word, "Her Majesty?"

"Margo's not a tyrant. You can expect her to be as friendly as Heidi," he shrugged. "She'll be asking you questions, and she'll be expecting answers. Don't lie to her, she'll know. Be respectful, of course, she's a queen, she expects to be treated like one. But why don't you just see for yourself, uh?"

"I've met less reasonable queens," Elijah told him. "But none as powerful as her, I expect."

"You're right about that, friend," Alex said as he put his hand on Elijah's shoulder.

The original vampire let the heretic tap his shoulder in silence, then watched him walk away from them, following Heidi's footsteps. He looked down at the elemental who was repressing an amused smile. He raised an eyebrow at her, which made her laugh.

"Look at you," she said. "You made a new friend."

"Did I?"

"You two are going to get plenty of time alone later," Alex called from the hallway, "come on!"

"Come on," she repeated with a grin.

He smiled back at her as he stepped forward, took her hand in his and let her drag him to her godfather.


	25. The Holy Forest- Part 3: Cornelius Fay

Margo shivered on her throne. Though the room was warm, thanks to the fire burning strong and hot in both fireplaces at each side of the giant room, she could still feel the cool air from the Forest. Her golden dress couldn't keep her warm, and she pulled at her sleeves, trying to cover her arms up to her wrists. She was fidgeting, one could say. She could feel the heretic and the witch waiting outside of those tall golden doors. She could feel the original vampire and the ultimate standing out there with her friends. She stared at the doors, waiting, wondering, worrying. They seemed so far away, as if the more she stared the more they shrank. The room was silent, her 20 guards posted around the room were being so still that they almost became stone, invisible, forgotten.

Eventually, she raised her hand and silently asked for the doors to open. There was almost no noise as they slid on the impeccable white marble floor, revealing her guests. Heidi and Alexander led the way. But that's not who caught her attention. She had seen plenty of them in the last centuries and will see plenty more of them in the next. Her eyes immediately fell on the original vampire, currently the greatest threat to her Queendom. Or maybe she was wrong. Maybe the shy, impressionable, nervous and intimidated girl at his side was the greatest threat to the Forest. Or the supernatural world as a whole. She saw nothing of Aella in Mackenzie. Not her grace, not her fierceness, nothing. Of course, she had more than that within her while Aella had so little. Even Margo herself had so little compared to what the ultimate had.

Heidi stopped a few feet away from the stairs leading to the throne. The witch bowed, though she didn't need to, Margo always appreciated the show of respect. Alexander bowed too, but in a more amused way, as if he were mocking the gesture, mocking her or Heidi. Those two were the complete opposite of one another. But Margo loved them both equally. Or at least that's what she would say. It was no secret to anyone that Heidi was her best friend. They were like sisters.

"Your Majesty," Alexander said. "Let me introduce you to Mackenzie Alemaund and Elijah Mikaelson."

Elijah bowed to her as he was announced. He did it with ease as if he had done it a thousand times before, and maybe he had. Mackenzie managed to produce a little curtesy that Heidi had just showed her earlier. Margo wouldn't criticize any of it. She knew Mackenzie was no actual threat to her. She knew she had her respect. She only wanted people to bow to her when they were reluctant to accept her as queen. It was always such a pleasure to see people bend the knee.

"Mackenzie Alemaund," Margo repeated dryly.

Mackenzie tried to meet the queen's gaze, but she seemed highly uncomfortable. She seemed to shrink, as if wishing she could disappear, as Margo stood up. Slowly, she walked down the three steps to meet her guests, ignored Heidi and Alexander as her eyes never left the ultimate. She analyzed her, looked her up and down, carefully studied her clothes, a black turtleneck and a brown skirt, short black heels like a schoolgirl would wear.

"You look nothing like your mother," she continued. "I see a lot of your father in your face. Of course you would look like him. He's the one who gave you your powers after all."

Mackenzie said nothing as the queen walked around her without saying another word. She then lifted her eyes from the small elemental and found the vampire standing close. He was in love, no doubt. Ready to jump between her and a bullet, or anything that could harm her. Anything. Or anyone.

"Elijah Mikaeslon."

"Your Majesty," he said as he bowed again.

She appreciated his respect. It put her in a better mood. "I hear you are the… honorable one."

"I… have been called that once or twice," he chuckled modestly.

"I have to be honest, I wouldn't have opened the doors to my city to any of your siblings."

"I understand. It would be… wise."

"You understand of course that killing here is forbidden."

"I do."

"And that keeping the Forest a secret is required."

"I was made aware of the protocol."

"Good. Then we should not have any problems, you and I," she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "Have you received my gifts?" she then turned back around towards Mackenzie who was taken by surprise.

"I… Yes, I did. Thank you," she answered in a steady voice, finding her confidence again.

"I have to be honest and admit I don't remember who gave them to me. But I know all of those spells and I have no more use for those old grimoires anymore. I was told you could be trusted with them, have I been lied to?"

Mackenzie gulped. She was probably referring to the grimoire of dark spells she had found in her room, along with a grimoire of spells that Mackenzie could imagine herself doing one day.

"No."

"Good. Then we…"

The queen didn't get the time to finish her thought as a page entered the room, seemingly out of breath, bowed, not to anyone in particular, and then announced a surprised guest.

"Lord Cornelius Fay, your Majesty."

"Ah, Cornelius," Margo said as she forced a smile on her face. "What a pleasant surprise. And what good timing."

A man, whose age Mackenzie couldn't tell, appeared behind the page. He was dressed in dark green, and old fashion, a tunic as long as a dress, and that suited his silhouette perfectly. He was incredibly tall and thin, with bright blue eyes and very long blond hair that reached the end of his back. He gave Margo a friendly smirk before he bowed to her.

"Your Majesty," he said with an overdone gesture, yet not disrespectful.

"Cornelius, let me introduce you to Mackenzie Alemaund, I know you could not wait to meet her."

"Indeed," he nodded as he took Mackenzie's hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on her skin. "It is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Mackenzie," he said with a grin.

"You're…" she cleared her throat, surprised and a bit confused. "Nice to meet you too… You're… a Fay?"

"Indeed I am. The eldest Fay alive, I'm afraid," he chuckled, though neither Mackenzie or Elijah found anything amusing in that fact.

"Mackenzie," Alexander said as he stepped between her and the original vampire. "This is Cornelius Fay. Your 20th great grandfather."


	26. Creatures of Forgotten History

It was a cold night in the Forest and the moonlight barely filtered through the thick mist that had settled above the trees. Most of the castle was asleep, and only the servants were running around cleaning and making sure everything was perfect enough to meet the queen's standards. The kitchen was wild awake doing the dishes and preparing for the next day. A page ran out of there after the chef caught him stealing leftovers. He launched himself in the dark hallways and though his steps were heavy and loud, he didn't wake anyone, not even the vampires that resided there. Only one vampire heard him, and it made him pause as he wondered if he were trying to run away from a dangerous situation.

"Did you hear something?" Mackenzie whispered in the dark.

"It's nothing," he assured her as brought her closer to his chest.

The silk of her red nightgown collided with his silk black shirt and the feelings of being tangled in her bordeaux silk bedsheet convinced her that she hated the material. It felt cold on her skin, but she stopped shivering when he joined her in her bed.

He almost scared her as he appeared at the doorstep of her bedroom. It was unlike him not to knock but it was his understanding that a servant would usually be present to open the door and announce any visitor, and that it wasn't too surprising that she hadn't heard him come in from where she stood in the other room.

Nightmares were his reason to visit this late. He was pleased to hear she had less of those since Klaus took him away from her, but she was pleased to hear he wanted to spend the night with her anyway. He took her in his arms, wrapped them around her as he brought her back to his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. He seemed a little sad, but he assured her otherwise before he changed the conversation back to the previous dinner.

"He's in good shape for someone who's over seven hundred years old."

"You're one to talk."

"I'm a vampire," he reminded her. "His… unwillingness to age is… a mystery to say the least."

"I didn't dare ask him."

"Me neither. It seems like… such a rude question to ask."

"Maybe I'll gather the courage to ask him tomorrow night."

"Is it going to be just the two of you?"

"Dinner," she nodded. "At his… manor or… castle or I don't know where he lives," she chuckled.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I mean… I'm expecting to learn some crazy things about my ancestors and in exchange I hope he'll answer my questions."

"Maybe you should make a list," he joked.

"That's not a bad idea, actually."

"Could you ask him what he knows about Avery Alemaund? I don't even know when he was alive."

"That's already on the list."

"Thank you."

Mackenzie brought a hand to her mouth as she yawned then st arted to rub her eyes.

"It's been a long day," the vampire said. "You should rest. I'm sure no one will blame you if you oversleep."

"Fine," she sighed. "Good night, 'lijah."

"Good night, Mackenzie," he said before he placed a gentle kiss on her temple then turned off the light.

* * *

"You look beautiful."

"I look ridiculous!"

Elijah laughed as the ultimate turned around herself like a cat trying to catch its own tail. She was wearing a light green dress and getting her into that corset had been a nightmare. The servant that had been appointed to her did an amazing job at dressing the elemental, but all Mackenzie wanted was to get into a pair of jeans and sneakers.

"It would be rude not to wear the dress he sent you."

"I could always say I never got it."

The vampire raised an eyebrow. "That would also be rude."

She sighed and whined. "I hate it, I can't breathe in this!"

"You'll get used to it."

"Says the man who never wore a corset, ever!"

"Well, that's true," he admitted. "It's only for tonight, you'll be fine."

"I can barely move."

"You're invited to a dinner, you won't have to move much," he reminded her with a grin.

"What are _you_ gonna do?" she asked as she tried to pull on her corset.

"Alexander agreed to show me the library, I will be reading."

"Well, you have fun," she mumbled.

He chuckled before he took a step forward and took her face in his hands. "You'll be fine," he repeated gently before pressing his lips on hers.

The gesture surprised her. She was not used to it. He seemed to do it like he had done it a thousand times before, or had wished to. She gave him a shy smile and hoped her cheeks weren't as red as the walls. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Have a good night, Mackenzie."

"You too, Elijah."

She hugged him tight for a few seconds before walking away from him. She turned to give him one last look before she disappeared in the hallway.

* * *

The manor was small compared to the land it rested on. The car stopped in front of stone stairs on which two servants were waiting. The black Mercedes seemed out of place here and Mackenzie felt weird as one of Cornelius' men, who was wearing a uniform so green it almost seemed black, opened the door for her like she was some kind of princess.

"Thank you," she shyly said to the man who didn't even dare look at her.

"Lady Alemaund," the other one greeted her with a bow, "please follow me. My Lord is expecting you in the dining room."

She followed him without a word, her eyes capturing images her brain had difficulty to make sense of. She felt the electricity of the house as she walked pass lit candles and below a chandelier heavy with diamonds. There were plants everywhere, huge vases of fresh flowers on almost every shelves and old wooden drawers that seemed to belong to another century. The manor was similar to the Forest or even Margo's castle: a mix of the last five centuries.

She entered the dining room, the servant bowing again before leaving her there, in the vast room where Cornelius was waiting for her at the end of the large wooden table. She counted 16 chairs but only two plates had been placed there, along with dozens of plates of sweets and other confectionaries of all colors.

Cornelius smiled as he saw her and quickly stood up, pushing his chair away in a loud and unpleasant noise. He was wearing a light green vest with dark green trousers and brown loafers. His hair was as radiant as it had been the day before, and somehow seemed even longer.

"Mackenzie!" he greeted her. "Welcome."

She awkwardly smiled at him as he approached her and let him put his hands on her shoulder as he kissed her left cheek first then her right cheek, the gesture leaving her quite surprised.

"Good evening," she managed to say.

"How have you been?" he asked as he led her to the table, "how are you liking the Forest so far?"

He pulled her chair and gestured her to sit and she wordlessly obeyed his silent request.

"I… I've been fine, thank you," she replied as she sat down. "The Forest is… curious," she chuckled nervously.

He laughed. "You'll get used to it."

"So I've been told," she smiled politely.

"Now, now, my dear, I was sorry to hear about your mother's passing, and if I had any idea as to where you were I'd have come to you right away."

"My mom's told me about you. She said you helped her while she was here… nineteen years ago."

"She's talked to you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't aware… that Aella had told you about your powers before she died."

"Oh, she didn't," she said and that confused him even more, "I… I saw her… after. She's in the Other Side."

"Ah, is she now? Poor Aella, I was hoping she had managed to move on… I suppose one cannot find peace when one leaves a daughter behind this young."

"I… suppose not."

"My apologies," Cornelius chuckled. "I'm sure she's very proud of what you've become. Alive, that is," he laughed awkwardly. "It's a miracle you've managed to live this long. And accompanied by an Original vampire no less. Other ultimates have not been so lucky I'm afraid."

"How many have you met?"

"Two. The first one, very powerful, he was in his sixties when I met him for the first and last time. He was an Engelbrecht. He told me that night that, when he was 8, he had set fire to the wooden horse he was playing with. His father had first suspected his wife to have cheated on him and that he wasn't really his son, but one of the Hayes boys living next to them. I wish I'd have seen his face when the oracle of their village told him his son was an ultimate."

"An… oracle?"

"You've never heard of oracles? They're very powerful witches, though they're not talented at spells or potion making, they have one gift many 'regular' witches wished they had: divination."

"They can see the future?"

"Yes. Among other things," he nodded. "Some say it's a gift and that one is born with it, others say you can work for this power, though I've never met an oracle who 'worked' for her gift."

"I… I'm sorry to ask but… Can I ask…"

"What is it, my dear?"

"Well, I don't mean to be rude but…"

"Oh," he laughed. "Of course, you'd want to know my age, everyone does. Well, like your godfather, Alexander, said, I am your 20th great grandfather, now, if you do the math, I am…"

"Over seven hundred years," she cut him off.

"That's right," he laughed.

"How are you… still alive?"

"Ah well, that's a secret I'll never tell," he winked at her, "not even Her Majesty the Queen knows."

"Mom said she suspected Marg… Queen Margo helped you with… a spell or a potion."

"Well, I've only known her for five hundred years, so I had to fend for myself way before that."

"Alright," she cleared her throat, "you said you were the eldest Fay alive, which I have no problem believing," she said and he laughed, "but are you the last Fay?"

"Oh no. There a few Fays here, in the Forest. My children are all dead, I'm afraid, but I watch over their descendants. Their resemblance is uncanny sometimes," he said as he drank from his cup of wine.

"And… what about Alemaunds…"

"You father, my dear, stays a mystery to me. Your mother refused to tell me anything about him."

"Margo said she's met him."

"Maybe. I doubt it. She's probably seen a picture."

"Mom never talked about him…"

"To be frank, I haven't met an Alemaund in centuries. The last one was Robert, or maybe that was his brother? I don't remember. But he was an ultimate. He was in his early thirties. Good looking but not so good behaved I'm afraid."

Mackenzie was surprised to hear he couldn't remember the name of one of the two ultimates he had ever met. But what he said next helped her make a little bit more sense of it.

"There were twins, but they hated each other. Jealousy is a terrible thing. Let's say, for the sake of this conversation, that the ultimate _was_ indeed Robert and that his brother's name was Roger, yes, I believe that's right. Well, Roger hated, even despised his twin brother for having more power than he did. When Robert was confirmed ultimate, Roger was furious that he wasn't one himself," he paused, then scoffed. "Alemaunds were never sane, I'm afraid. Power hungry little fellas. I'm glad to see you inherited the soft heart of your mother. Us Fays have always been the heart of elementals."

"I was told Avery Alemaund was… crazy."

"Oh, of course you were told that," he chuckled. "Let me guess, a witch told you so?"

"… warlocks… yes?"

He laughed again. "Yes. Witches hate our kind, it wasn't hard to convince them that an elemental, an Alemaund, had sequestered several witches and forced them to create a whole new species."

"Are you saying that's not what happened?"

"My dear… Avery Alemaund never existed."

Mackenzie's eyes grew big as she breathed out: "What?"

"Have you ever heard of Pandora and Ambrosia?"

"I…," she shook her head in an attempt to recollect herself, "yes, they're sisters. They helped my mom when she was pregnant with me."

"Yes, they are very helpful," he chuckled. "I believe they are about three thousand years old. They were born in Athens. Their mother was a slave, their father their owner, and Ambrosia is no doubt the owner's son's daughter. But the probability that they may only be half-sisters never posed problem to either of them. They were born of rapists, that they were certain about. As their owner had no use for them, he sold them, to some Roman pervert who preferred young girls. They were 16 and 14 at the time, Pandora being the eldest one. But as they were on their way to Italy, they were rescued by a coven of witches. They lived with them in the forest for a few months but all they wanted to do was to go back to their mother. As they found out that they were witches themselves, the coven took them in and taught them everything they could. So, when they went back a year and a half later to get their mother, they'd also be ready to kill their previous owner. Unfortunately, when they arrived there, they learnt that their mother had died after a particularly brutal beat up. So, they burned the whole house down with the masters inside. It is speculated that their power comes from their rage. They are, no doubt, the strongest creatures I've ever met."

"Stronger than ultimates?"

"That stays to be determined," he smiled at her.

"So… what? What does that have to do with… Avery Alemaund?"

"Well, I lied just know, Avery did exist, he just never sequestered anyone, nor was he crazy. In fact, he had nothing to do with the creation of your kind. So, no, the Avery Alemaund you were told about never really existed."

"Did he know Pandora and Ambrosia?"

"He did not. I mentioned them because they are the ones you were told about. They are the witches who created ultimates."

"Of their own free will?"

"Indeed. The eldest you are, the wisest you get," he said with a laugh, "or so we're supposed to. Though, I doubt they ever had a problem with elementals. They wanted to help, you see, after several elementals begged them to. They needed to be stronger than witches, they needed the fight to at least be fair, so they gave them the same weapon the witches had: witchcraft."

"What about… the other elements? The element of darkness?"

"Ah yes, the element of darkness," he repeated as if it were funny, "well, you see, in a fight, it is also very ideal to disarm your opponent, do you understand?"

She nodded. "An ultimate can steal other people's magic away."

"When word got around that an ultimate had been created, rumors started to spread as well, and I'm not surprised witches still believe, to this day, that an elemental had forced a witch to make them more powerful."

"So… they never were an element of light or darkness."

"No," he shook his head, amused. "Witches are so gullible."

"Wow…" she breathed out. "When… when was that?"

"Mmh, let me think… It was before the Forest was founded… and after my birth as I remember the day I was told an ultimate had been created like it was yesterday… I would say… about six hundred years ago."

"But… they were Alemaunds… the first ultimates?"

"Five ultimates were created that day. One from each family of elementals, do you know them? The Alemaunds, the Fays, the Hayes, the Dallimores and the Engelbrecht. Only Alemaunds managed to produce more ultimates, I'm afraid. At least, that I know of."

"So… the Dallimores are elementals of water, right?"

"Indeed."

"What if a Dallimore and a Hayes had a child? Would they control water or fire?"

"Both or only one," he replied. "Very rarely both. Only Alemaunds had multi-talented children. In fact, when a woman married into another family and her child was multi-talented, it was the custom that the child in question would take their mother's name, Alemaund. That's why you'll never meet a Dallimore that can control fire, they'd have taken their other parent's name, Hayes," he laughed as if it were funny. "Actually, my mother was a Fay, my father was an Engelbrecht, but I could never manage to control the wind, I'm afraid."

"Are all Fays related?"

"Yes and no. Honestly, I couldn't tell. But there are so few of us left now that it doesn't matter. You'll be lucky if you meet another elemental outside of the Forest."

"How many elementals are there here?"

"Only a few hundreds, I'm afraid. But of all families, I'm happy to say."

"I was told elementals were extinct…"

"Well… we're on our way there," he said sadly. "But enough of this," he waved his hand. "Please, eat. I like to start with dessert," he told her as he took a pink macaron out of the mountain in front of him, "you don't mind, I hope?"

"Not at all," she smiled back at him.

"Then, bon appétit."


	27. An Air of Déjà Vu (Part 1)

**Hello everyone!**

 **I apologize for the delay, we should get back to a normal schedule from now on!**

 **This is the first part of chapter 25: An Air of Déjà Vu. I post in parts because I don't want to run out of things to post every two weeks!**

 **I hope you will like it, it's about 1400 words long!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Forest was silent and somber when Mackenzie was taken back to the castle. Somehow it seemed even colder inside than out there, and as dark as the moonless sky. She followed the page in silent, wondering if she had met him before, unable to recognize him, or any of them, for that matter. They were all wearing the same clothes, all saying the same things, all avoiding her gaze. She wondered if it was written somewhere in the rules not to look people in the eyes or if they were just afraid of her, and she decided never to ask, happy to believe it was the former.

Her satin dress caressed the cleaned marbled floor in silence, the only noise being the page's footsteps and her heavy breaths. It would be easy enough to travel through the hallways of the castle if she weren't wearing such a tight corset. She had been uncomfortable all night, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. She couldn't wait to get out of this dress, and she'd wake the entire castle if she had to in order to find someone who'd help her out of this prison of satin.

The page stopped in front of her door and opened it for her, before stepping aside and bowing, gesturing her to get inside. She thanked him in a whisper, not caring if he heard her or not, before she stepped inside her chambers where she was happy to see her servant was waiting for her.

Mackenzie frowned, however, when she noticed the girl was standing near the couch, where she last saw her.

"Did you stay here all night?"

"No, ma'am. Someone from Lord Fay informed us of your return."

Reassured that the poor girl hadn't spent the last four hours waiting on her feet for her, and trying to forget she had just been called "ma'am", she breathed out, or at least tried to.

"Get me out of this thing, please," she begged.

"Yes, madam."

The girl removed all the layers of the elaborate dress as fast as she could, and Mackenzie took a deep breath of relief as soon as she was able to.

"Thank you," she breathed out loudly, swearing to herself she wouldn't wear a corset ever again, and she'd kill anyone who'd try to make her. "Never call me madam again," she said in a light tone, not wanting to scare the girl who had been acting nervous around her.

The servant looked up with a small and amused smile: "Yes, miss."

"Have a good night."

"You too, Lady Alemaund."

The girl was gone before Mackenzie had the chance to tell her she wasn't a lady.

* * *

It was dark in the forest. Abnormally dark. And so silent. As if there were no wind, no animals, no life. As Mackenzie walked on the dead leaves, the absent of noise made her feel uneasy and nervous. She couldn't remember where she was nor what she was doing out there in the forest alone. All the trees were the same and she kept changing course, hoping to see a light, a rock or a bush maybe that looked somewhat different, that would indicate she was making progress. But everything stayed the same. She cried for someone, anyone, just to see if she would hear anything and her own voice startled her. She expected no answer and received none, and for some reason, it was a relief. She was alone. There was no one and nothing that could hurt her. She felt at peace, not tired, not hungry, her feet weren't hurting like they would have been if she had really been walking in the forest for this long. She kept walking for a while, enjoying the silence of the never-ending forest. She looked up, expecting a moon and stars, but found only darkness, like a ceiling painted in black, a black so dark she got lost in it.

She stopped, her eyes staring at the darkness, the pain coming back, the fear, the hunger, the exhaustion. She shivered as she started feeling cold, a pearl of sweat sliding down her forehead. A voice startled her. She turned around but saw nothing but the trees, the same trees she had been surrounded with for what seemed like an eternity. The trees that she had been ignoring now scared her, as if someone, or something, was hidden behind one of them, or all of them. She turned around herself, looking there, looking here, always seeing the same thing, all her emotions overwhelming her at once. She heard the voice again, but this time thought she understood it, even maybe recognized it. It was calling her name.

"Hello?" she cried out, not knowing if an answer would make the situation better or worse.

"… hear me?" the faded voice of a woman asked.

"Where are you?"

"Mackenzie," the voice was now loud and clear.

The ultimate straightened up, a shiver running down her spine as she recognized the voice.

"Where are you?" she cried again.

"Mackenzie."

"Mom! Where are you?"

She wiped the tears off her cheeks as she turned around again and again looking for her mother. She started feeling dizzy, the trees disappearing from her line of sight as if they were being pulled by an invisible force she couldn't feel. Light started to break out of her surroundings as if the world itself was becoming a ball of light. Mackenzie brought a hand to her face, trying to shield herself from the blinding light.

It gradually became safe for her to open her eyes again and she looked around, hoping to see her mother, but all she saw was white, as if she were standing in a white empty room with no walls.

"Mom?" her voice broke as she called quietly for her mother.

"Mackenzie," Aella said, though she was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you?"

"You need to leave, Mackenzie, it's not safe for you here!"

"What?" Mackenzie breathed out as she looked up then down then around again. She couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, as if it were coming from everywhere. "I don't know where I am. How did I get here?"

"You need to leave! You can't trust him, he will hurt you!" her mother's voice was getting louder and Mackenzie's ears started to ring as if the voice was coming from inside her head.

"Who?" she asked, panic obvious in her voice.

"You can't trust him! He's dangerous! You have to run!"

The darkness came back so suddenly that Mackenzie felt like she had just been punched in the chest. It took her breath away. She was in the forest again, surrounded by the same trees, on the same path going nowhere.

"Mom?" she called, the knot in her throat making her voice break again.

"You will die if you stay with him! Run, Mackenzie! Run!"

A sudden panic submerged her, and she started to run, as if her mother's words were spelled. She ran so fast she didn't know where she was going. The trees appeared before her and disappeared behind her so fast she didn't see them at all anymore. She ran into the darkness, hoping for nothing, she ran until she couldn't anymore, she ran until she reached the end of the path going nowhere and fell into nothing.

* * *

Mackenzie jerked awake, almost choking as she gasped for air. She sat bolt upright, trembling and panting as if she had just run a marathon. She was sweaty, her nightgown sticking to her wet skin. She tried to catch her breath, tried to think straight.

What kind of nightmare was that? She had had a lot of bad dreams, but this was completely different. It felt so real, so vivid, she knew it was something else. She knew it was her mother sending her a message.

She tried to remember her mother's words, wishing she had misunderstood them, but knowing she hadn't.

Mackenzie shook her head, trying to forget the words, trying to erase the thought from her mind. She hated it. She hated it so much it hurt. It hurt to think of the mere possibility that it was real. That her mother, stuck in the Other Side, had come through to tell her that Elijah Mikaelson wanted to kill her.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **You can find the entirety of the chapter on my patre0n page: patre0n dot com / alonelydreamer (all in one!) as well as the first part of chapter 26.**

 **Of course, the next part will be posted next Wednesday so no worries!**

 **Have a great week!**


	28. An Air of Déjà Vu (Part 2)

Mackenzie barely slept. The sun wasn't even up yet when she decided to get out of her room and walk around the cold castle. The hallways were as similar as they were different. Paintings, flowers and other decorations made each corridor easily recognizable. It wasn't hard for the ultimate to find her way back to her room when she turned around as she started to feel sick. She collapsed on the red velvet couch, hoping the nausea would soon go away. She fell asleep and Heidi found her hours later when the sun was high up in the sky.

Heidi was standing in front of the couch, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of disapproval on her face.

"It's almost noon," she said coldly. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Mackenzie replied groggily, "I didn't sleep much."

"I was told you came back at midnight."

"I did. I just didn't sleep well."

"You're probably jet-lagged," the witch dismissed her with a wave of the hand. "Anyway, now that you've taken a nap, I'm sure you're ready for your morning lesson."

"Morning lesson?" she repeated as she rubbed her eyes.

"You have ten minutes to get ready. I'll wait for you in the library."

Heidi then turned around and left the room without any other word. Mackenzie stayed on the couch for a minute, stretching up. _The library,_ she thought. Elijah could be there. She had tried hard not to think about her last nightmare, but as she was walking the castle's hallways, it was all she could think about. _It's not real,_ she told herself. Elijah wouldn't hurt her. That nightmare was just a silly dream, it didn't make any sense. Elijah wouldn't hurt her. She knew that much. Didn't she?

She finally got up and picked up a pair of jeans and a purple shirt before putting on her sneakers and making her way to the door. As she was about to open it, someone came knocking.

"Lady Alemaund?" the servant from the night before asked from behind the door.

Mackenzie opened and the girl quickly bowed to her, making the elemental uncomfortable.

"Lady Alemaund, Lady Beauregard has sent me. She wants me to take you to the library."

Mackenzie scoffed internally. Of course, Heidi thought of everything.

"Thank you," she smiled shyly.

As they walked in silence, Mackenzie was dying to ask about Elijah, if she knew, by any chance, his whereabouts. She resisted all the way to the library, but, as the girl was about to open, finally blurted it out.

"Is Elijah inside?"

"Sir Mikaelson?" she asked, and Mackenzie nodded. "He's walking the maze with Sir Davidson outside," she answered, missing the look of relief on Mackenzie's face, "do you want me to bring him here?"

"No," Mackenzie replied, too quickly, "no, no, that's fine, don't bother him, thank you."

The girl nodded then opened the door, bowing as she gestured Mackenzie to enter.

The library was not at all what she expected. In fact, it didn't look like a library. It was more of a lab than anything else. Herbs and other flowers were hanging on the walls and from the ceilings, jars filled with all sorts of things of all sorts of colors were carefully organized on the hundreds of shelves that were spread in the rooms. Sure, there were a few books here and there, but that didn't make it a library.

"There you are."

Mackenzie jumped as she heard Heidi's voice from across the room, near two big windows that were the only source of light. She was standing behind a metal worksurface on which had been laid a few empty jars as well as an opened book and other ingredients.

"There are plenty of spells we could study here," Heidi said. "And plenty of potions. Come on, I'll teach you the basics."

* * *

Potion making would have been easy enough if Mackenzie had managed to focus for one second. But every single word that came out of Heidi's mouth were ignored by the troubled ultimate who could only hear the same sentence over and over again: _"You can't trust him, he will hurt you."_ Surely her mother wasn't talking about Elijah, nor Alexander, nor anyone else Mackenzie could think of. And if she were talking about Elijah maybe she didn't know what she was talking about. Maybe she thought Elijah was like Klaus, a dangerous psychopath who would kill her because of her power. Maybe she didn't know Elijah at all. Maybe she was wrong. Or maybe, her mother wasn't the source of the nightmare at all. Maybe it was just a dumb dream and she was worried for nothing.

Heidi was losing her patience and even though she could see something was wrong, she had no intention of asking her about it. That was a job for Alexander.

The heretic appeared in the lab, as if summoned by Heidi's thoughts, followed by the original vampire. He seemed happy to see Mackenzie, as happy as Alexander was to see Heidi, however, only one of the women avoided their other half's eyes.

"How's it going?" Alex asked cheerfully.

"Terribly," Heidi replied with a sigh. "Maybe you'll get something out of her."

"Potions aren't your thing, uh," the half vampire, half witch said jokingly.

"I'm just tired," she mumbled, looking down at her hands that were playing with a mortar.

"Ah, well, maybe we should cancel today's training session?"

"Out of the question," Heidi said. "On the contrary, it'll wake her up."

Mackenzie walked around the table in silence and towards Alexander, still avoiding their eyes, as if she was ashamed of herself for having such terrible thoughts.

"Let's go then, I'll follow you."

"You sure?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, finding her behavior quite strange.

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She moved away quickly, before she could even think about what she was doing. Elijah caught a glimpse of her eyes and found fear in them. She didn't look long enough to see how much it hurt him.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired, I think I should go lie down."

"Yes, of course," the vampire said, looking at both Heidi and Alexander, wondering if they had seen the same thing he had.

* * *

To her relief, no one came to bother her that night. And she actually slept, unbothered by any dream or nightmare. She was up at nine, and ready to go when Heidi came to get her, to the witch's surprise. She didn't mention the event of the previous day and the lesson went perfectly well. Mackenzie decided to focus on what was being taught to her rather than the silly thoughts that wouldn't leave her head. She felt ridiculous having those thoughts but didn't seem to be able to get rid of them.

According to Sarah, the servant who had apparently been assigned to her, Elijah was in the library, the real one, with all the books and other things the Queen kept in her official library. He was expecting her for lunch and maybe the most horrible thing she had ever done in her life was standing him up with no warnings whatsoever.

The training session with Alexander went as well than the others, she made clear progress but also got her ass handed to her more than once. Fortunately, the session was cut short as they were told about a ball that her Majesty the Queen was hosting that night. Alexander let Mackenzie go early, assuring her that Heidi would be busy at the moment mumbling about being told way to late, that she didn't have any appropriate gown to wear _and_ that she didn't want to go anyway. Mackenzie spared him a polite smile before she made her way back to her chambers where Sarah was waiting.

"A few dresses are waiting for you in your bedroom," she said, "pick one and call me when you're ready to change." She bowed before she exited the room, leaving Mackenzie alone with three dresses so beautiful she didn't think she'd be able to choose just one.

As she grazed the fabric of each dress, she was reminded of the gown Elijah had sent her for the ball his mother had hosted over a month ago. She remembered all of it. His words, his gestures, his smile... She remembered how much she loved being with him just two days ago, and now... now she didn't even know what to think.

Either way, she was the biggest idiot of the whole universe. First scenario, she was worrying for nothing, thinking Elijah would even want to hurt her in the slightest, or, second scenario, she had trusted an original vampire with her secrets, her life, and her heart, only for him to play her to the death.

She wanted it to be a mistake, just a dream caused by the huge amount of sweets and other cakes Cornelius had made her eat that night. She wanted it to go away, to forget it, so the burning ball of guilt and doubt would disappear from her stomach.

She took out the first gown from the hanger. It was a beautiful blue, almost as blue and magical as Cinderella's magic dress, with a heart shaped corset and no sleeves. The second one was a stunning purple, similar to the previous one, only with a more reasonable cleavage. The third one was green, in a similar fashion as Cornelius' clothes. That one she dismissed right away, the corset seemed like a real pain.

"Wear the blue one."

Mackenzie jumped as she gasped, startled by Elijah's voice. She hadn't heard him come in. She looked away quickly when she realized he was the one who had sneaked into her chambers without a sound.

"Hey," she greeted quietly.

"I missed you at lunch."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Heidi kept you longer than planned?"

She frowned as she thought he'd know exactly at what time she ended her lesson with Heidi this morning. He was testing her, she realized, to see if she would lie to him. Elijah was no fool. He knew something was wrong.

"No."

"Then what happened?"

She didn't reply. What could she reply?

She suddenly felt two hands travel on her waist and her heart skipped a beat as she felt his power near her, as if it was a knife to her throat. She gasped then jumped, startled, before she pushed him away, stepping away from him in a nonsensical panic, causing her back to meet with the wardrobe behind her.

She stared with big eyes at the predator who could so easily kill her if he wished so. And though the act in itself would physically hurt, it wasn't what she was most afraid of. Elijah was her friend, Elijah was more than that. She loved him, of all kinds of love, she'd felt it all, platonic, pure friendship, gratitude... The love a student had for a teacher, a victim had for a savior. The love of a teenage girl. A first love. A ridiculous love. One that hurt even when everything was perfect. No, she didn't care about the physical pain. She was more troubled about her heart, her heart she had just given him. She would die if it weren't real, she would die if he weren't who she thought he was, she would die as if her heart were being ripped from her chest, she would die from grief, she would die from the heartache.

And at that moment, she thought she would die seeing the look on his face. A look of betrayal, as if someone had just ripped his heart out of his chest, as if _she_ had just stepped on his heart, he had just given her.

"You're scared of me," he said, as if he didn't believe it.

Just like _she_ had done for the past twenty-four hours, trying to push the bad thoughts away, he had too, thinking he had to be wrong when she pushed him away, that she wasn't scared of him because why would she be?

And those last twenty-four hours crumbled loudly inside of her head as his words echoed over and over again _"you're scared of me"_ he said like a sad puppy. As vulnerable as he could be, as she had ever seen him.

How could she think, even for one second, that this man wanted to hurt her, that this man had played her, played some kind of twisted game with her? How could she think so low of him? She would never forgive herself, she thought. She didn't know that she had so much power, that she owned him. She realized, now, that he owned her too, and that even if only a day had passed, it had seemed like an eternity to be away from him, to avoid him, to think of him like a threat, as if he was dead somehow, as if he had never existed and all she had believed had been ripped away from her in the most cruel way.

Tears filled her eyes quickly and one fell on her cheek as she shook her head.

"No," she breathed out before she hurried towards him.

She hugged him tight, burying her wet face in his chest and he embraced her as if he hadn't seen her in years, as if he had lost her and had finally found her again.

"I'm not scared of you," she said, "I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" he asked softly as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, stroking her hair.

"Nothing," she sniffed. "Nothing at all."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **The third and last part of this chapter will be posted next Wednesday!**

 **The entirety of chapter 25 as well as chapter 26 is available on my patre0n page: patre0n dot com /alonelydreamer**

 **Have a great week!**


	29. An Air Déjà Vu (Part 3)

The dress was a perfect fit but even though she was facing the mirror Mackenzie couldn't see it. She couldn't stop thinking of Elijah's face, how hurt he was by her stupid actions. It had been hard for him to leave her get ready for the ball; he needed an explanation; he was afraid to lose her and not know why. He let it go after she refused to tell him, but in his head was a painful battle and fear had taken over everything else. She had to find a way to make him trust her again. She had to find a way to apologize.

"Looks like your fairy godmother's already left."

Mackenzie jumped, startled by Alexander's voice. She would have sensed him come in if she hadn't been lost in her thoughts.

"What?"

"You look like Cinderella," he explained, gesturing to her dress with his chin.

"Cinderella's blonde," she mumbled.

"Fine, then, you just stole her dress."

Mackenzie eyed him up, taking in his outfit, which resembled his usual ones, but somehow didn't.

"You look fancy," she said, as it seemed like the only difference from his casual suits was the number of zeros on the price tag.

He chuckled. "Yeah, we're going to a ball, remember?"

"Maybe you haven't noticed the gown I'm wearing," she replied in his favorite language: sarcasm.

"Oh no, I did, but the look on your face tells a different story."

"I'm just…"

"Tired?" he cut her off. "You need to find a different excuse."

She paused, then shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"Heidi bet you weren't gonna show up. Just making sure I get my fifty euros," he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Why would she think that?"

"Elijah's going," he shrugged. "And since you're avoiding him…"

"I'm not avoiding him."

"Maybe not anymore. But you were."

"Aren't we gonna be late?"

"No, we still have a half hour, don't try to change the subject."

"I'm not trying to…"

"So what did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"What? No!"

"Then why are you scared of him all of a sudden? You risked your life for him, more than once."

"I'm not scared of him."

"Don't lie, I saw you yesterday, I was there, remember? And I know you stood him up for lunch today, I saw him wait for you for an hour and a half."

Her heart squeezed with guilt at the thought. She couldn't even imagine how he was feeling, especially after what she did the day before.

"I know, I just… it's nothing."

"Mackenzie," he sighed, a serious look appearing on his face, one she had never seen from him before. "He cares about you, you know."

"I know," she confirmed quickly. "I was being stupid."

"About what? Do you have doubts?"

"I…" she sighed. "It's stupid," she repeated.

"I saw him step out of your room earlier, he wasn't looking all that reassured by whatever excuse you gave him."

"Can't you just let it go?" she asked a little loudly. "How is this any of your business anyway?"

"You mean as your friend how are your troubles any of my business?"

She rolled her eyes as she turned her back to him, choosing to focus on her reflection on the mirror. _Damn it,_ she thought. This _was_ Cinderella's dress. Well, it was too late to change now.

"We should go," she said. "I don't want to make him wait."

"So you've kissed and made up, then?"

She wiped invisible dust from her skirt as she replied: "Not yet."

* * *

The 'ball' was everything Mackenzie expected it to be. Many rich people wearing amazing ball gowns and suits and jewelry more expensive than their houses. It was a very colorful event, not only because of the guests but also because of the food. The pastries, in particular, were of all colors, and seemed to have been made just for Cornelius, whom Mackenzie had seen talking to some people at the other end of the crowded room.

She was walking with Alexander, looking for Elijah as he was looking for Heidi. As it turned out, the original vampire and the witch were already together, exchanging a silence that they probably both enjoyed.

She shyly smiled at him as she approached, hoping it would reassure him. He smiled back at her, giving her a small grin full of hope.

"You look wonderful, Mackenzie," he said as he gently took her hand in his.

She blushed as she thanked him, squeezing his hand and taking a step towards him.

"You haven't changed," she joked, making him laugh.

He probably did change, but his suits were one and the same to her. Something inconsequential she actually loved about him.

"I'm sorry my clothes are boring you."

Her smile grew bigger. "You're a lot of things, 'lijah, but boring isn't one of them."

He grinned happily as he enjoyed the happy memory, of a time when she trusted him enough not to be scared of him or avoid him.

"Do you wanna dance?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you hated dancing."

"But you like it. And I have a lot to make up for."

"It's already forgiven," he shook his head, pushing all the bad thoughts away.

"You waited half an hour for me, 'lijah. Let me apologize," she insisted as she dragged him towards the other dancers.

"I'm afraid this dress wasn't made for dancing."

"Just don't let me fall," she giggled.

"Never."

Mackenzie did hate dancing, and it was indeed more than a difficult task in this gown, however she didn't want to stop, and wouldn't let anything stop her, as she was enjoying this moment as much as he was.

"I'm really sorry, Elijah," she said eventually.

"Will you ever tell me what happened?"

"It's not important, it was stupid."

"What was _it_?"

"Just a stupid dream…"

"Are you having nightmares again?"

"Just the one. I think I ate too much sugar that night and I had this weird dream…"

"Tell me about it."

She sighed. She knew hearing about it would hurt him, she didn't want to do anymore of that.

"I don't remember, I told you, it's stupid."

"Let's forget about it then," he said as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll have lunch with you tomorrow if you want."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

She slid her hands on his back and rested her head on his chest, hoping she'd never had to let go, hoping she could spend the rest of her life exactly where she was.

"I'm sorry, 'lijah," she repeated again.

"I know," he said before he kissed the top of her head. "It's all forgiven."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 26 (part 1) will be posted next Wednesday!**

 **You can find it and part 2 on my patre0n page: patre0n dot com /alonelydreamer**

 **Of course everything will be posted here eventually!**

 **Have a great week!**


	30. Fairy of Fire (Part 1)

The memory of the last couple of days had already faded away and only Mackenzie's guilt was left. Elijah had chosen to forget it, perhaps because it hurt too much. He'd often thought about the day he'd lose her, however that could be. Klaus would get mad again and kill her just to get back at him, a powerful witch would kill her out of pure jealousy, or maybe time would get her this time. Maybe like it got her mother. Many potential scenarios had crossed his mind, and no matter how painful it was every time, there was no pain that matched the one he felt when she backed away from him. No was there any relief bigger than when she hurried into his arms.

He tightened his hold on her as he thought about that moment. He was lying in the dark, in her bed, holding her like she was going to slip away, taken by an unknown force at any moment. She had been apologetic all night, each apology reassuring him more and more each time, even though he always told her it was okay. He could hear his brothers' voice inside of his head, hear each word as if they were being spoken right there, as if they were standing right here. "Love makes you weak." He knew a lot of people who would disagree, he was one of them, even though for a time, he had agreed. "Caring gets you killed." Perhaps that was true. Perhaps a life without caring was not one worth living. Not one he wanted to live anyway, now that he had her. And as he drifted off to sleep, his hold didn't lighten, as if he didn't want to let her go, even in his sleep.

* * *

Days passed and stayed the same as Mackenzie continued her training with Heidi in the morning and Alexander in the afternoon. That was six hours a day she didn't spend with Elijah, or eighteen hours a day he spent with her. Yet, only her skills increased and her relationship with the vampire remained unchanged. She wondered if he wanted to take it slow to protect her, to not scare her, push her or make her feel pressured. Or maybe he was waiting for her to take the next step. Or, perhaps, he figured that a castle where many vampires lived wasn't a great place to get intimate. She wondered. But she didn't know. He was the one who knew. He was the one who had done this before. And at this point, when her thoughts started going that way, she stopped, because she knew being jealous of centuries old exes was the most pathetic, most ridiculous thing that could ever happen to her. Even if those centuries old exes had probably been taller, prettier, smarter, more confident and better than her in every way. Who cared, she thought. They were probably all dead anyway.

At least once a week, Cornelius invited Mackenzie to come have dinner with him. She always accepted, even though Elijah was never welcomed in the manor. She always had a lot of fun with her ancestor, and always learnt new things about the Fays, and elementals in general. However, she always felt sick when she got back to the Queen's castle. He always had pastries for dinner. Mountains of macarons and fountains of pink champagne. He always managed to make her eat it all. It was a miracle she hadn't gained any weight from the weekly feast. She often came back from the manor feeling so sick she wouldn't even take the time to undress and just let herself fall on the bed where Elijah was waiting for her. He was always forbidden from touching her.

"I thought you weren't supposed to eat anything tonight?" he said as she collapsed on their bed.

She groaned. "You don't know how he is. It's impossible to say no to him."

"Him? Or the macarons?"

"Trust me," she winced at the mention of the sweets, "I never want to eat those ever again."

"That's too bad. It's quite delicious."

"'lijah," she whined, "I love you, but please stop talking."

He froze as he heard the words, wondering if she realized what she had just said. He hesitated for a second, then closed his book before putting it down on the nightstand to his left. He was about to say something when she started to whimper.

"Heidi's gonna be pissed again."

Her powers were always hard to use after one of those nights. It was only for a few hours at first, but then it worsened, taking up to almost twenty-four hours until she could practice any magic again. She had promised Heidi to stop drinking, however, she never knew what was in the glasses Cornelius handed to her.

"You have a day off, then," he said, choosing to ignore her previous statement. "What should we do?"

"Sleep," she answered. "And then sleep some more."

"Heidi's definitely not going to like that."

"Heidi's teaching me some weird spells I'll never use," she complained. "I don't want to train anymore, I can use my powers just fine."

"I doubt she'll agree."

"Let's just go," she said as she slowly rolled over onto her back. "Oh, that was a bad idea."

"You okay?"

She didn't reply, didn't even nod, as the best she could do at that moment was try not to throw up on Margo's silken sheets.

"Go where?" he continued after he was sure she wasn't going to empty her stomach on the bedroom floor.

"Anywhere," she murmured. "Just... away from Cornelius and his cursed macarons."

Elijah chuckled. "Fine then, let's just go. Just pick a destination."

"London. London looks nice."

"London it is," he nodded. "And when are we leaving?"

"Next week. Sunday. Just need to say goodbye to everyone."

"Cornelius will probably throw you a nice farewell party. With lots of champagne... and macarons."

Mackenzie groaned as she rolled back over onto her stomach.

"I hate you so much right now," she said, her words muffled by her pillow.

He smiled. "I love you too," he whispered, and he will never know if she just didn't hear him or completely ignored him, but she never replied.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **Next part will be posted next Wednesday!**

 **I'm sorry this is short but I need to stretch this out as much as possible as I am going to have to rewatch The Originals season 1, 2 & 3 to write my next chapters, which means there might be another break in about a month or so.**

 **As always chapter 26 can be read in its entirety on my patre0n page: patre0n dot com /alonelydreamer as well as the first part of chapter 27.**

 **Have a great week!**


	31. Fairy of Fire (Part 2 & 3)

"I'm sorry to hear you are leaving us already."

The queen's words echoed in the large throne room. Mackenzie always wondered why they never bothered to put some furniture in there. It would reduce the echo and make it warmer too. This room was always chilly, and if she had to be honest, it intimidated her. Which, she thought, was probably what Margo wanted.

"I'm surprised they stayed here for this long," Alexander chuckled, interrupting his monarch.

Margo ignored the remark, like she always did, with a wave of the hand.

"We shall have another ball," she continued. "When are you leaving?"

"Sunday, your Majesty," Elijah replied politely.

"Mmh, that doesn't give us enough time to prepare…"

"A ball is unnecessary," Mackenzie said. "We don't want to bother you with…"

"Nonsense," Margo stopped her. "We'll have a dinner, at least. Friday night. Just us, and Cornelius, of course, he'd be unhappy not to be invited to say goodbye."

"A dinner sounds lovely," Elijah nodded.

"Excellent!" Margo replied as she got up from her throne. "Heidi will inform the servants and the cooks," she said, and Heidi nodded before she exited the room without a word. The witch hadn't expressed any joy or disappointment at the news of the couple's departure. "And Alexander will make sure Cornelius receives an invitation."

"Running to it," he said with an ironic smile. He never did like Lord Fay.

Mackenzie smiled back at him as he winked at her before he followed Heidi's footsteps.

"Any travel plans?" Margo asked as she made her way to them.

"London," Elijah replied. "And then… we'll see."

"Terrible idea," she said. "England in January?"

"It's still a beautiful city, no matter how cold."

"I suppose that's true," Margo dismissed them with a wave of the hand. "Well, I have work to do. Please, enjoy your last few days among us."

"We will," Mackenzie politely nodded.

She took the hand Elijah was handing to her and Mackenzie felt relieved as they finally exited the white marbled room.

"I don't think England is any worse in January than the Forest is."

"Have you seen the sun since we got here?" she asked with humor.

"I can't seem to remember," he replied with a grin.

* * *

"Ouch!"

"You need to stay focus, Mack! Vampires are stronger and faster than you, you need to be prepared to defend yourself."

"Thanks, Alex," Mackenzie said as she sat up on the ground where she fell when her godfather decided to suddenly attack her. "I'll be careful next time I'm having a casual chat with you while walking in the gardens, I never know when you decide to kick my ass for no reason."

"It's a teaching moment," he shrugged.

"It hurt."

"Yeah, well, pain is better than death."

"I believe what he's trying to say is 'be careful'," Elijah said as he held his hand out to her.

She took it quickly and he pulled her up effortlessly.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure."

"What I'm trying to say is 'don't trust anyone'."

"It sounds a little like 'I'll miss you, I wish you weren't leaving'," she said with a grin.

"That too," he admitted.

"Should I expect a curse from Heidi, or will she just say that to me… you know, with words?"

"That's basically the only thing you can expect from her."

"And are you two staying here?" Elijah asked.

"Probably. She didn't say anything about leaving any time soon. But you can always call us if you need anything, Mack."

"I know," she smiled. "Thank you. For everything that you did for me."

"It was our pleasure… even if she doesn't show it."

Mackenzie chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Heidi wasn't one to show emotions but there was no doubt in any of their minds that she cared. Mackenzie didn't know what had made her that way, but she was glad Alexander was there for her. He saw her for who she was, and he loved her as much as she loved him. It was the kind of relationship Mackenzie hoped to have one day, with Elijah. They knew each other so well, there was no secret, nothing to hide. They supported each other and had for centuries. Was there anything better for an immortal than to have someone to spend immortality with?

She often thought about Elijah's relationship with his siblings. He had spent so many centuries with Klaus, despite what he had done to them. So many years wasted because of loyalty. Lived through so much pain and hurt. And when they were finally reunited, made a family again under false pretexts, he lost them all, all over again. Just to leave, leave them all behind, and go to another continent with her. For her.

Every day, there were new reasons to fall in love with him all over again. New proof to dismiss any doubt she may have. Being with him made her feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world. And she deserved that, because the universe had been more than unfair with her. And he deserved it too, because the universe had kicked him to the ground way too many times.

* * *

Their last dinner with the queen was awaited by none of them and they doubted Margo was looking forward to it either. It was going to be long and boring, a never-ending social event that everybody wanted over even before it started. However, Elijah had to admit it was nothing but an honor that the queen would bother herself with such an event. He and Mackenzie had been treated with nothing but respect ever since they had arrived in the Forest, and if it only made Mackenzie uncomfortable, it reminded him of another time, back when he lived with Klaus as rich and respected Lords in England back in the day. Back when he met Katerina Petrova for the first time. So many things had happened since then, and there was nothing in the world that would ever make him wish to go back. He would rather die than go through all that again.

"You ready?"

He looked up to the voice calling for him. Mackenzie was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, dressed in another one of Margo's dress, another gown that would be a pain to pack, between the two grimoires she had been given on her first day here, and the other clothes and accessories Margo hadn't stopped sending her for some reason. Maybe she just wanted her to fit in. Mackenzie wouldn't dare wear any of it outside of the Forest.

"Give me a minute," he said as he stood up from the armchair in the corner of the room. "Go ahead and I'll join you."

She smiled. "What were you daydreaming about?" she asked as she made her way to him.

"Nothing interesting."

"It was interesting enough to make you late," she grinned.

"I'll make sure to apologize to her Majesty," he smiled back.

"Okay, I'll see you there, then," she said as she tiptoed to kiss his cheek.

He watched her leave in silence and after he heard the door close he turned to the mirror and started to undo his tie. This suit was way too casual to wear to a royal event.

* * *

Mackenzie walked down the hallways of the castle like she knew them by heart, and after having walked through them with Alexander and Elijah for the past two months, she did. She knew all the hallways and most of the rooms and had only recently started to recognize all the servants, even if she couldn't remember their names.

The hallways were empty, nothing unusual, especially since there was a dinner to prepare, but Mackenzie always found it unnerving. They seemed colder and somewhat darker, and a strange feeling seized her as despite seeing no one around her, she could clearly feel somebody's presence. And not just anyone. It wasn't a servant, as none were so powerful. And she was fairly sure she had never met this person, as she didn't recognize their magic. She started walking faster, though she couldn't find the strength to run, as if her breath had been taken away. She tried to stay calm, knowing there was no legit reason for her to panic. But her heart jumped in her chest as she heard footsteps behind her, and she knew it wasn't Elijah.

She turned around and was startled by the presence of a man, someone she had never seen before. He was tall and blond, and dressed in dark green, similar to what Cornelius and his people wore.

"My apologies, Lady Alemaund," the man chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm not a Lady," she corrected him right away, like she did every time someone called her that.

"Apologies again," he said with an amused smile. "My Lord Cornelius sent me."

She frowned. "Isn't he coming to the dinner?"

"He is, though you will not see him there."

"I'm confused…"

"I'm afraid this cannot wait."

Mackenzie was about to mumble a confused answer, but she barely had time to open her mouth that the stranger brought his hand to his mouth, opened it and blew some white powder onto Mackenzie's face. She stepped back coughing, her eyes starting to burn. She felt very dizzy extremely fast and though she tried to walk away, she only stumbled a few steps before her knees gave up and she fell to the ground. Pain was the last thing she felt before everything went dark.

* * *

She felt her eyes burning as she slowly woke up and tried to open them. She was scared and confused, not knowing where she was, not remembering a thing of what had happened. She tried to calm down but as she realized she wasn't feeling her magic anymore, she started to panic even more. However, she knew someone was there with her, as she could hear movement near her.

"My apologies, my dear, I had to triple the dosage. I've never dealt with an ultimate before."

Her heart sank as she recognized Cornelius' voice. She couldn't see anything, could barely breathe, and could not say a word.

"I know you must have many questions, but don't try to talk, I cast a strong paralysis spell. Of course, it's not working as well as it should," he chuckled, "but it should be good enough."

She understood what he meant when she managed to slightly move a finger. She was lying on what seemed to be a wooden table, and there was an awful smell she couldn't recognize.

"I must apologize, sincerely," he continued. "I had other plans for you. But just like your mother you couldn't stay here, could you… you had to go and see the world," he said with an irritated tone. "It was not my wish to kill you so soon, but I cannot take the risk of letting you go now. I can't take the risk of letting this… _vampire_ ," he said the word with such disgust it made her wince mentally, "turn you the first chance he gets."

She felt something warm slowly slid down her cheeks and it took her a few seconds to realize they were tears.

"At least with your mother my usual spell worked. I managed to steal her years and her powers without having to leave my home. But with you… no matter what I tried, it just wouldn't take. I was hoping for good results when you mentioned feeling sick after our little dinners, but your powers always came back the following day… I'm not certain what I did wrong…"

At the mention of her mother, she unconsciously fisted her hand, and she could feel hot fire in her chest, but in her state, she didn't know if it were whatever Cornelius was doing, or her magic coming back.

"Either way, stealing your lifetime shouldn't require a different spell. But I do need to figure out a way to take your powers, I can't let them waste away. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for a Fay to be born an ultimate?"

She whimpered when she felt his hands on her. He brought her sleeve up on her right arm and she felt something wet and cold against her vein.

"Your _boyfriend_ was very distraught when he realized you were missing," he said with a mocking tone. "Margo even sent the royal guard after you. Well, don't worry. They'll never find you here. They'll never find you at all."

She felt a needle pierce through her skin and a hot liquid enter her vein. She fisted her right hand and pushed him away, breaking the needle which stayed stuck in her arm. She didn't know if it were blood she felt running down her arm, or Cornelius' poison, or both.

"I see your powers are coming back," he mumbled unhappily. "I didn't expect it so soon."

She knew he was going to do something to stop it, to take her powers away again, and she couldn't let that happen. That fire she felt in her chest, no matter if it was hers or caused by Cornelius' spell, she could use it either way, and so she did. Without moving a muscle, she set fire to the room, to everything she could without even seeing any of it. Anything flammable was suddenly burning hot, taking Cornelius by surprise. He had killed her mother and nature knew how many other Fays, and he was now trying to kill her… he had made a big mistake.

"I can't let you do that," he said, trying to stay calm, but clearly failing.

All she needed was for him to touch her again and he'd be done. She could survive the fire, she'd burn the entire place to the ground if she had to. Maybe the smoke would alert Elijah and the royal guard, who knew? But all Mackenzie wanted was for him to die.

"That's quite enough," he growled as he grabbed her arm again, a needle ready in his other arm.

Mackenzie found luck in her misery as Cornelius' potions and spells clearly weren't ready to take on an ultimate. She put all of her strength in her arm and seized his wrist. Her eyes opened as she tightened her grip on him, making it impossible for him to free himself. Her burning glare found him and if he hadn't realized he was already dead, then he was just a fool. Whatever magic he had used against her faded away quickly as she stole his magic. She took a deep breath as she took back control of her body.

The fire was still burning strong around them and glasses and jars were breaking in small explosions. She sat up quickly as he fell on his knees, feeling dizzy as his magic and all the magic he had stolen left him rapidly. The physical pain was gone, and she got her strength back as she never let go of him. She jumped off the table and her feet found the hot ground. She tightened her grip and squeezed until she heard him scream.

"You killed my mother," she growled. He was not only regretting that, but he was also paying for his arrogance. He should have never told her that. He was going to pay for all the Fays he had killed and stolen from. "Can you handle the fire?" she asked as she directed her anger entirely on him now. The fire around them disappeared in a second, in a quiet yet deafening sound. But she could still feel it, and so could he as his blood started to boil. "She couldn't."

And neither could he as his screams started to fill the room. She finally let go of him, having no magic left in his body. He screamed and burned for what seemed like an eternity, but she found no displeasure in it. Eventually, Cornelius stopped screaming, and his still burning body fell to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

She stared at the darkened ground at her feet, a burning smell lingering in the air, the one of burnt flesh. She stared with lifeless eyes for seconds, or perhaps minutes, time seemed to have stopped. She then looked up, with no more life on her face, and stepped over the ashes to make her way to the stairs in the corner of the room.

She walked up the steps of stone and didn't even try using the handle to open the door as it flew open and slammed against the wall. She could feel it, she could feel him. The one she was looking for. He was the only one there, in the house, the only one she wanted. She could feel him running. He had heard his boss scream, no doubt. She walked down the hallway, the same hallway she had been through all those nights when Cornelius had invited her for dinner. It led to the front door. It was already opened. She could see a dark figure run away from the house, in the gardens leading to the forest. She didn't bother following him. A giant root appeared before him, suddenly coming from the ground, causing the earth around him to shake, almost making him fall. The enormous root slammed on the ground right next to him, so hard Mackenzie heard it from where she stood. The root wrapped itself around his feet and she could hear him scream. He screamed when he fell and he screamed again when the root started moving, dragging him back to the house. Mackenzie didn't move, waiting for her prey to come to her. The screams stopped shortly before he arrived. The root disappeared into the ground, leaving behind enormous trails. The man wasn't moving, wasn't screaming, wasn't breathing. His face was brown with dirt. He had choked on mud.

All those romantic novels were wrong. Revenge did feel good. But the fire inside of her wasn't satiated, it wanted more, she wanted more. She slowly walked down the stairs and turned around to face Cornelius' manor. It was now empty, only inhabited by the ghosts of Cornelius' victims. It started burning, slowly, fire purging all the evil that had ever been committed within its walls. She stepped back, watching with some kind of fascination as she felt the flowers burn, as she watched the roots on the walls go up in flames. As she watched the smoke rising high in the dark sky, getting mixed with the charged clouds.

People were coming. Suddenly they were there. They might be talking but she couldn't hear them. Watching the flames go high and higher she didn't move when two hands seized her face. Someone came before her, someone was standing right in front of her, her face in their hands, his hands. He was saying something, he kept talking and started shouting as he received no answer. Eventually she moved her eyes from the fire and found his. She found his worried teary eyes and it was as if something had been snapped back in place inside of her. She could hear suddenly. She could hear his voice, she could hear the house crumble down.

"Mackenzie, talk to me," he begged.

She put a hand on his in response and he felt like breathing again.

"What happened?" she heard Alexander ask from behind her.

"Where's Cornelius?" Heidi asked.

"Mackenzie are you okay? Are you hurt?" Elijah looked her up and down, inspected her body for any injury. But she wasn't injured anymore. Not physically at least.

"What happened?" Alexander insisted.

Mackenzie felt dizzy and confused as if she had just returned to her body and someone else had taken her place. But no one else had. She had done all of this. She had set the house on fire, destroyed it, and killed Cornelius, and that other guy she didn't even know the name of. She had killed them both.

And would do it again.

Finally, she answered them. In a voice that didn't sound like her, or at least not to her. As if it were coming from someone else. Her words, but not her voice.

"He killed my mom."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 27 will be posted in two parts and there will be a break after that since I have to watch the fourth season of TVD then the three seasons of TO to organize my ideas for the rest of the fic.**

 **I apologize in advance for the wait!**


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